Scan the QR code in the image to register I wonder if during the just-passed Spring Festival, your "Chinese stomach" was once again overwhelmed by salt from dishes like salt-baked chicken, salted duck, and cured meat? As everyone knows, Chinese people can't be happy without salt. In the daily diet of Chinese people, the importance of salt is self-evident. A dish without salt seems to lose its soul. The Chinese preference for salt has a long history. According to statistics, China has ranked first in the world in per capita salt intake for many consecutive years. However, it is worth noting that excessive salt intake can harm health, causing elevated blood pressure and leading to hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease, and other diseases. More and more people are beginning to realize that salt is not just a pleasure for the taste buds but also a "hidden killer" of health. As a result, consumers, food companies, and even the state have all rolled up their sleeves to join this vigorous "salt reduction" wave. -01- Eating 10.5 grams of salt a day: Besides being heavy on oil and spice, Chinese people also favor salty flavors! "What's for lunch?" "I just ordered a bowl of malatang (spicy hot pot)." "What are we having for afternoon tea today?" "I bought some duck necks online yesterday; they're really tasty." "Let's go out for dinner tonight." "Sure, let's have hot pot." These conversations might evoke memories from your life. The fast-paced lifestyle has increased stress for contemporary young people, and eating "heavy-flavored" food seems to be the most convenient and quick way to release stress. Thus, Chinese people have become increasingly "heavy-flavored," not only in oil and spice but also in salt. According to a meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, over the past 40 years, Chinese adults have consumed an average of 10.5 grams of salt per day, more than twice the World Health Organization's recommended amount. Why have Chinese people become the world's "salt champions"? First, it is related to Chinese cooking methods. Most people cook at home using Chinese methods, and whether steaming, boiling, stir-frying, or deep-frying, we are accustomed to seasoning with salt. In contrast, in Western European countries, salt is generally only added to preserved foods like cheese and bacon. Second, eating out and ordering takeout make us increasingly "heavy-flavored." In December last year, DingXiang Doctor launched a "Dietary Taste Preference Survey," collecting over 4,000 valid questionnaires. The results showed that most people unknowingly consume excessive salt, and long-term eating out or ordering takeout makes people feel their taste has become heavier. The survey also showed that more than 50% of people who eat out prefer Chinese stir-fried dishes, hot pot, and spicy dishes, and many merchants add extra salt to improve the appearance and taste of dishes, leading to excessive salt intake. Third, "snack cravings" also hide "salt content." Many young people have the habit of snacking, especially on salty snacks. According to Mintel statistics, China is the world's leading consumer of salty snacks; in 2018 alone, new salty snack products launched in China accounted for 11% of the global total, ranking first worldwide. Many sweet snacks also contain salt, such as bread and cakes. When making dough, salt is usually added to increase gluten elasticity; two or three slices of bread contain about 1 gram of salt. Excessive salt intake is becoming a "hidden killer" endangering Chinese health. According to the China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report 2019 released by the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among urban and rural residents, with 330 million people currently suffering from cardiovascular disease in China. Excessive salt intake and poor eating habits high in sodium and low in potassium are the main causes of elevated blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. However, the national health awareness of salt reduction is increasing. Innova Market Insights' 2020 health food keywords included low salt. Additionally, according to CBNData's 2020 Tmall Food Trends Report, 50% of consumers purchased health-oriented products in 2019, and 83% of consumers proactively adjusted their diets to prevent health diseases. Daily salt intake should not exceed 5g Image source: World Health Organization promotional poster At the national level, multiple policies have been introduced to encourage consumers and enterprises to join salt reduction actions. For example, in 2016, the Chinese Nutrition Society's Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents recommended that adults control daily salt intake within 6 grams. On April 18, 2018, the Institute of Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention launched the China Food Industry Salt Reduction Guide, recommending that food enterprises, as practitioners of salt reduction, achieve salt reduction targets in stages, striving to reduce the average sodium content of various processed foods by 20% by 2030. On September 14, 2020, the National Action Office carried out China Salt Reduction Week publicity activities, promoting the "915" (meaning "just 5 grams") salt reduction concept to the public, disseminating knowledge about low-salt diets, and promoting全社会共同关注并践行减盐行动. -02- Food companies that can't "stand" the salt are finding ways to launch salt reduction solutions With consumers' increasing awareness of salt reduction and the introduction of various national policies and regulations, many food giants have joined the salt reduction campaign, raising the banner of "salt reduction" and engaging in various product and technological innovations. Food companies are trying to start with salt itself, changing its properties so that eaters can taste more saltiness with less salt. Cargill's "hollow salt" has a conical crystal with a hollow structure, a large surface area, and dissolves quickly, producing a strong salty stimulus without needing much quantity. Cargill's Alberger hollow salt (left) and regular salt (right) Image source: Cargill official website Using natural flavor substances can not only improve flavor and reduce salt content but also make products more nutritious. Israeli brand Salt of the Earth extracts natural flavor enhancers from tomatoes, seaweed, and mushrooms, combined with microencapsulation technology, to develop a new clean-label sodium-reducing umami powder called Mediterranean Umami, which is said to be a one-to-one salt substitute for snacks, reducing sodium content by 45%. Mediterranean Umami Image source: Salt of the Earth Typical high-salt foods, such as potato chips and other leisure snacks, tend to use multiple flavor substances to compensate for the flavor loss caused by salt reduction. PepsiCo's Lightly Salted potato chips use other low-sodium seasonings to create a variety of flavors, compensating for the blandness caused by reduced saltiness, with a 50% reduction in salt. Lay's Lightly Salted Image source: lay's.com Terra offers low-sodium and no-salt potato chips in flavors such as sweet potato, sweet potato beet, sweet potato carrot, and original, giving the chips a unique vegetable flavor. Terra chips Image source: terrachips.com Yeast extract is also a good way to make food "reduce salt without reducing saltiness." Yeast extract can amplify the taste buds' perception of saltiness (sodium ions), so even if the amount of salt is reduced, the salty taste is not diminished. In low-sodium salt, yeast extract is rich in peptides, which can buffer and mask unpleasant odors and tastes, thus modifying the bitterness and metallic taste caused by potassium chloride in low-sodium salt. New yeast extract products in 2020, such as Symrise's yeast extract Umami AA and Angel's moisture-resistant yeast extract, provide new options for brands' salt reduction solutions. Lee Kum Kee's thin salt series products use yeast extract to achieve the effect of "reducing salt without reducing saltiness." Lee Kum Kee Thin Salt Soy Sauce Image source: Lee Kum Kee flagship store Last year, June Fresh launched a light salt series of soy sauce, using amino acid nitrogen as a salt reduction ingredient, achieving the effect of reducing salt without reducing nutrition. They launched four light salt soy sauces for different groups and proposed a step-by-step salt reduction strategy to help consumers gradually develop a light taste. June Fresh Light Salt Soy Sauce Image source: June Fresh flagship store Low-sodium salt is currently a relatively mature salt reduction technology. Low-sodium salt is salt with added potassium chloride, potassium iodide, and other components. In a study initiated by Unilever, it was proven that potassium chloride is a highly promising safe "salt substitute." Low-sodium salt with added potassium chloride and potassium iodide Image source: China Salt flagship store However, high concentrations of potassium can produce bitter and metallic tastes, a fatal drawback that limits the amount of potassium chloride used. Therefore, to ensure product flavor, the potassium chloride content in low-sodium salt is generally not higher than 25%. The salt substitute product Alsosalt uses natural potassium chloride and lysine as raw materials. Lysine is not only an essential amino acid but also masks the bitterness and metallic taste produced by potassium chloride. It can be used in cooking, baking, or sprinkled directly on food. Alsosalt Image source: alsosalt.com Ketchup is a recognized high-sodium food. Kraft Heinz used Alsosalt as a salt substitute to launch a low-salt ketchup with 96% less sodium than regular ketchup. Heinz No Salt Added Inverted Bottle Tomato Image source: Heinz official website -03- Low salt is a major trend, but why haven't low-salt foods become popular? The state continuously calls for low-salt diets, many food brands have successively launched salt-reduced foods, and the public gradually recognizes the importance of low salt for health. But so far, no low-salt food or ingredient has become a hit. Why? 1. Authentic salty foods still cannot do without salt A key issue for the slow popularity of low-salt foods is that, unlike the mechanism of sweetness, the attractive salty taste comes from sodium ions themselves. People's perception of "saltiness" comes from the stimulation of taste buds by sodium ions. The current common "salt substitute" potassium salt cannot effectively replicate the natural saltiness of sodium salt, and its addition is limited, meaning brands often still need to add a considerable amount of regular salt. Therefore, we basically only see "low-salt" foods, not "zero-salt" foods. The explosion of "zero-sugar" foods and beverages relied on completely replacing sucrose with sugar substitutes, creating an attractive label. However, artificial "imitations" of sodium ions are still in the experimental stage, and a true "salt substitute" seasoning has not yet appeared. Merely reducing some salt with "low salt" is far less attractive than "zero sugar." At the same time, salt is crucial for the preservation of salty foods, so reducing salt also shortens the shelf life of processed foods. Without enough salt, foods like beef jerky can easily spoil, causing huge economic losses and food safety hazards. 2. The health benefits of low salt are not intuitive Both high sugar and high salt are potential health killers, causing cancer and cardiovascular diseases. However, an important factor in the popularity of "zero-sugar" foods and beverages is that sugar substitutes alleviate consumers' weight anxiety. High-sugar foods can cause weight gain in a very short time, and this intuitive impression undoubtedly promoted the popularity of "zero sugar." There is already a large amount of scientific research showing that although sugar substitutes can to some extent slow down the weight gain caused by sucrose, in the long run, the risk of death from sugar substitutes is even higher than that from sucrose. Even so, sugar substitutes that slow weight gain remain a favorite among many consumers. In contrast, the harm caused by high-salt foods often takes more than a decade or even decades to be perceived by consumers, which is difficult for young consumers to perceive. 3. Without clear target positioning, low-salt foods can only become a gimmick Theoretically, everyone from infants and young children to teenagers and the elderly is a target for low-salt foods. However, since the health benefits of low-salt foods cannot be perceived by consumers in the short term, clearly identifying target customers and persisting over the long term is key to the success of low-salt foods. Take Kikkoman as an example. Kikkoman's salt-reduced series was initially designed for consumers with diseases who cannot consume too much salt. Although this series initially sold poorly, this group has an objective rigid demand, so Kikkoman persisted with the salt-reduced series, continuously improving the formula, and launched 22 low-salt and salt-reduced products. Kikkoman salt-reduced products Image source: Kikkoman official website Forward-looking layout and long-term persistence will eventually bring returns. According to statistics, in 2020, Kikkoman's salt-reduced soy sauce sales increased by 50% compared to five years ago. -04- Conclusion In the Chinese market, where a preference for salty flavors coexists with health awareness, the promotion of low-salt foods will be a long-term process. It requires not only making a broader range of consumers aware of the long-term health impacts of a high-salt diet but also food companies to pre-set and implement salt reduction plans over the long term, step by step, so that consumers' taste buds are no longer so "heavy-flavored." Source: FBIF Food & Beverage Innovation (ID: FoodInnovation)