Developing a policy to reduce the salt content of food consumed outside the home in Malaysia
Project disclaimer
Description
Salt intake in Malaysia is very high, with an average intake of around 9g per day. A high salt intake raises blood pressure and high blood pressure increases the risk of developing a cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes stroke and heart disease. Almost a third of adults have high blood pressure in Malaysia and CVD is the main cause of death and disability, which places a huge burden on communities and health services. We previously assessed awareness and knowledge of salt in Malaysia. The majority of the population knew that eating too much salt could cause health problems but more than half thought they consumed just the right amount of salt. We also found that foods consumed outside the home e.g. from restaurants are major contributors of salt to the typical diet and the majority of the population eat out on a regular basis. The salt content of food consumed outside the home is likely to be very high, but without nutrition labelling consumers are unaware of the salt content. We will interview stakeholders across the country to determine what factors they feel might prevent a policy to reduce salt levels in the out of home sector and we will use this data to develop a strategy, addressing all issues raised. We will then gain commitment from policy makers to implement our strategy as policy. To ensure engagement and support for the policy, we will organise workshops to explain to chefs and other food industry representatives why salt should be reduced, and the methods they can use to reduce salt in food. Our work will benefit the entire population - almost everyone stands to benefit from a reduction in salt intake as almost everyone eats far more salt than recommended
Objectives
The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with developing countries across the world to promote the economic development and social welfare of the partner countries.
Location
The country, countries or regions that benefit from this Programme.
Status Post-completion
The current stage of the Programme, consistent with the International Aid Transparency Initiative's (IATI) classifications.
Programme Spend
Programme budget and spend to date, as per the amounts loaded in financial system(s), and for which procurement has been finalised.
Participating Organisation(s)
Help with participating organisations
Accountable:Organisation responsible for oversight of the activity
Extending: Organisation that manages the budget on behalf of the funding organisation.
Funding: Organisation which provides funds.
Implementing: Organisations implementing the activity.
- Accountable
- Extending
- Funding
- Implementing
Sectors
Sector groups as a percentage of total Programme budget according to the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) classifications.
Budget
A comparison across financial years of forecast budget and spend to date on the Programme.
Download IATI Data for GB-GOV-13-FUND--Newton-MR_V005847_1