Salt and Bread: Latvia’S Experience

Much research has shown that reduction in salt intake can have a very positive impact on human health, as salt intake plays a critical role in regulating blood pressure. According to the World Health Organization, populations with low salt intake, all other factors being equal, usually have lower blood pressure level, in that way decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. The main source of salt in the diet is ready-made food, and only about 11% of overall salt intake is the salt people add to their food themselves. A common EU framework for salt reduction has been developed, which describes a common vision for a general European approach towards salt reduction. Bread has been identified as an important contributor to the daily salt intake in many countries. On the other hand, salt has important technological functions in bakery products. It improves the qualities of dough, fermentation, and flavour of bread. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the amount of salt in Latvian bread and to assess the need for decreasing the amount of salt in bread. The majority of Latvian bread contains 1.1 to 1.2% salt in flour, but in some other kinds of bread it is even less.