Overview

• In an online trial with 2,391 UK adults, salt warning labels reduced ordered salt by an average of 0.26 grams per meal.
• A real-world randomised controlled trial in a Liverpool restaurant found that labelled menus cut ordered salt by 0.54 grams per meal.
• Labels identified dishes exceeding half of the recommended 6-gram daily salt limit and prompted greater awareness of salt content at the point of purchase.
• Effects were consistent across age, sex, and education levels, indicating the measure is unlikely to widen health inequalities.
• Experts from Action on Salt, the British Heart Foundation and the World Health Organization are advocating for mandatory menu warnings as a cost-effective public health strategy to align UK policy with global nutrition guidance and reduce over 100,000 annual diet-related hospital admissions.