Cereal manufacturers are worried that their products are to be targeted in a government advertising campaign. Giants including Kellogg's and Weetabix have begun a late attempt to persuade the government's Food Standards Agency to drop or modify ads warning of the health risks of too much salt.
The agency will next month launch a fresh drive to reduce consumption, highlighting the fact that 75% of salt eaten is in foods such as breakfast cereals, tomato ketchup, ready-made soup and bread. Too much can lead to high blood pressure, linked to increased risks of strokes and heart attacks; for every gram a day cut from the average intake in the UK population, 7,000 deaths would be prevented.
Health guidelines recommend adults do not consume more than 6g of salt a day – a target to be hit next year. But the agency could struggle to meet that, as Britons are consuming an average 8.56g a day.
The Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers, which represents makers and brands including Kellogg's, Weetabix and Cereal Partners in the UK, fears that the campaign will "demonise" cereals, failing to reflect the work done by the industry in reducing salt over the past few years.
Representatives of the association met agency officials last week. One industry source said: "Clearly we support the FSA's drive to reduce salt, but we think it should target higher-salt foods such as meat, milk, cheese and ready meals. We don't think cereals should be unfairly demonised."
Past campaigns targeted convenience foods; cereals have not been singled out before. The £3m push is to be launched on 5 October, the Guardian understands. A previous TV campaign with comedian Jenny Eclair will re-edited alongside new images of offending salty foods – she warned everyday foods are "Full of it".
The association said that cereal makers had achieved one of the largest reductions in food salt content: 44% since 1998. A spokesman said: "We have been praised for our efforts. The FSA agrees breakfast cereals are a good way to start the day and an important part of the diet, as per their eight healthy eating tips. There is a wide range of breakfast cereals to suit all tastes and lower salt options are available."
But many studies by groups such as Cash (Consensus Action on Salt and Health) and Which? have "named and shamed" offenders by highlighting surprisingly high salt levels in cereals and other foods. In April Which? found 100g of Tesco Special Flakes had the same amount of salt as 100g of Walkers Ready Salted crisps.
A Kellogg's spokeswoman said its salt cutting plan was in its 11th year. "We've worked hard to gradually reduce salt by 39%, while still delivering the taste and quality our customers know and love." Last year, breakfast cereal was only 2.7% of the salt in the average shopping basket, lower than milk (4.8%), fresh meat (6.2%) and bread (9%). Kellogg's was also developing cereals such as Optivita and Wheats with no added salt, she added.
An FSA spokesman said: "This is not about demonising categories of food. It is about pointing out healthy options and encouraging consumers to make sensible choices. There are no plans to water the campaign down, and it will go ahead."
