Webinar preview: KHNI to explore sodium reduction using neuroscience & fermentation technologies

05 Oct 2023 --- Excessive sodium intake is linked to an estimated 1.89 million cardiovascular disease-related deaths each year. Reducing sodium in foods is a priority for many global governments, with more than a quarter of the world’s population living in countries with mandatory measures toward this.

Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute (KHNI) is advancing its reach in this space by leveraging contemporary taste and smell neuroscience and fermentation technologies.

Ahead of the company’s webinar next week entitled “Solving Sodium – Insights, science & strategies to help you navigate the salt space,” we speak to experts about the upcoming innovation in the space. KHNI and other speakers will examine the formulation challenges around reducing sodium in foods, such as taste, texture and preservation. 

Rising awareness 
The cost of population health is coming further into focus, and KHNI sees the government being compelled to act, whether through mandatory regulation or consumer labeling. 

“While sodium reduction has been around for many years, what has changed are the intervention policies with over a quarter of the global population living under mandatory sodium reduction, and the learnings from all policies are generating further insight for effective population sodium reduction,” Sarah Coe, nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation,  tells Nutrition Insight. 

“When you look at the top categories impacted by high sodium levels, that is where you see the greatest activity, whether it is new launches, government mandatory labeling. We are seeing innovation in sodium reduction levels of 40-50%.”

No longer is a stealth approach feasible for those reduction levels, so innovation is focused on solutions that protect core purchase drivers, be it taste, texture or preservation, says Dr. Kay Marshallsay, global portfolio director for Taste Fermentation at Kerry. 

Implementing change 
A WHO report in 2023 indicates that the world is off track for sodium reduction targets but is clear on the ask to get us back on track. 

The global average sodium intake is more than double the WHO’s recommendation of less than 2,000 mg of sodium per day in adults.“WHO members have already acted and signposted the direction of travel for global population reduction in sodium intake. Serious and step change reductions in sodium reduction need strong strategies to implement,” continues Marshallsay “More than ever, consumer choices around brand selection or not, cost and value where taste remains the number one driver of consumer preference.” 

Food Safety and waste management all bring into sharp focus the need for holistic approaches when it comes to successful sodium reduction implementation, Emma Cahill, marketing director at Kerry, adds. 

Exploring physiology and neuroscience 
For KHNI, the industry has an exciting opportunity to innovate and offer truly sustainable nutrition that tastes good. 

“The emerging understanding of the physiology and neuroscience of cross-modal interactions synergistic pathways will continue to drive innovation and ideation in creating new generations of ingredients, processing technology capability,” Dr. Alex Woo, founder and CEO of W2O, a US-based flavor technology firm, tells us.  

“Furthermore, greater consumer awareness of food waste, the challenges of food preservation when large step changes in sodium reduction are required, adds to the innovation mix.”

“Successful innovation is when a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach is applied,” affirms Woo.

For KHNI, the rising cost of living has put into sharper focus consumer choices and the need for brands to lead and innovate. 

“Recent global events have highlighted the enormous cost to health services and governments and making choices on where to invest in public health service, so it is likely that more pressure will be placed on the food industry to make further step changes in sodium reduction in multiple food categories to improve the outcomes of global populations,” explains Marshallsay. 

Like many complex challenges, solving from a multi-disciplinary perspective is a key enabler in the space of sodium reduction. During the webinar, KHNI experts will explore what is happening in neuroscience and discuss the call to action affecting global populations and effective strategies that can solve step changes in sodium reduction targets. 

You can sign up for the webinar here. 

By Elizabeth Green