The salt rate in Tunisian bread is not controlled and varies from one bakery to another, Head of the non-communicable diseases unit at the primary health care directorate of the Health Ministry Fayçal Smooli said, recalling that excess sodium has harmful consequences for health and can lead to an increase in blood pressure (which would cause cardiovascular problems) as well as kidney dysfunction.

He stated to TAP on Saturday, that the Health Ministry had launched on Friday an awareness campaign on the dangers of excess salt and sugar, as part of the action plan to activate the national strategy to fight against non-communicable diseases.

The ministry of health and the Ministry of Trade and Export Development are planning, he pointed out, to issue a joint decree that controls the salt content in bread, underlining in this regard that pending the publication of this decree, the Tunisian citizen must limit the daily consumption of salt as well as canned food and fast food because of their high sodium content.

According to the latest statistics of the National Institute of Statistics (INS), 28.7% of Tunisians (men and women) aged 15 and over suffer from high blood pressure.

Smooli said that Tunisians consume 12 grams of salt per day, while the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends less than 5 g of salt per day.

According to the INS, 15.5% of Tunisians aged 15 and over suffer from diabetes and 29% are overweight.

Source: Tap News Agency