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The world spends billions on health. But part of the problem sits on our table every day
While reviewing data published by the World Health Organization (WHO), three figures truly made me think.
11 GRAMS | 1.7 MILLION | 1 DOLLAR → 12 DOLLARS
At first glance these figures look independent of one another; in fact they reveal an important problem in the global food system. Average daily salt intake among adults worldwide is about 11 grams. Yet the World Health Organization recommends staying under 5 grams a day.
So the world average is more than twice the recommended upper limit. According to WHO estimates, about 1.7 million deaths in 2023 were associated with excessive sodium intake.
This figure shows how large the public-health consequences of a single eating habit can be. Every 1 dollar invested in effective public-health policies to reduce sodium intake is estimated to return at least 12 dollars in economic benefit.
This is where what really makes me think begins. Humanity spends billions of dollars treating diseases. Yet it repeats, every day at the table, habits that increase the risk of some diseases. And the issue is not only the salt we add to food later.
A significant share of the sodium we consume can also come from prepared and processed foods. So leaving the responsibility for the solution only to the consumer is not enough. The food industry also needs to be an important part of this transition. Today, when we talk about innovation in the food sector, we talk about new products, different flavors, production technologies and shelf life. Yet innovation has a much more important dimension: making the foods people eat every day better from a nutrition standpoint.
- More balanced nutrient profiles
- Appropriate sodium levels
- Adequate protein
- Balanced amino acid profiles…
Evaluating fiber and other nutrients together. Because a product being strong in only one nutrient does not mean its overall nutrition profile is ideal.
While developing BÄKKER, we aimed to create higher-protein alternatives to traditional bakery goods. At the base of our academic and technical work is giving everyday foods a different nutrient-value approach. In that sense I believe food technologies need to be viewed from a much wider perspective.
For us as producers, the most important topic should not be only telling people what they ought to eat, but making the foods eaten every day better in the light of scientific data.
This article is taken from Ümit Sevdi's LinkedIn post: Read on LinkedIn.
Related pages: all articles, our protein page, for bakeries.
