Resolve to Save Lives’ new global guidelines for healthy public food procurement
Setting healthy nutrition standards for food served in schools, public hospitals, childcare facilities and government workplaces is a powerful strategy for saving lives.
“Reduced-sodium salts…are a great alternative to regular salt”
In a new op-ed for Health Affairs Forefront, Professor Bruce Neal, Executive Director for The George Institute for Global Health and our own Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, call for switching the salt we use to a healthier alternative—potassium-enriched, low-sodium salts—to improve heart health. Low-sodium salts look and taste just […]
Balancing sodium reduction and iodine nutrition for heart health
Salt is often fortified with iodine, a necessary ingredient for health. But too much sodium, the main ingredient in salt, is bad for the heart. RTSL recently co-hosted a meeting on “Harmonizing Iodine Nutrition with Salt Reduction” in collaboration with Nutrition International, WHO India, and the Iodine Global Network. Discussions focused on the importance of […]
Resolve to Save Lives at CARDIOBASE 2024
The RTSL India team, including Dr. Amit, Dr. Manika, and Dr. Swati, recently joined a panel discussion on ‘Unhealthy Diets and Cardiovascular Disease’ at CARDIOBASE 2024, moderated by Dr. Murugunathan. They discussed RTSL’s work on promoting cardiovascular health globally and in India, emphasizing the importance of salt reduction, trans fat elimination, and healthier oil adoption. […]
2024 Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award
Our team received the 2024 Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award for an abstract on increasing usage of low-sodium iodized salt.
New policies in Nigeria will help save lives from heart disease
In partnership with Resolve to Save Lives, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare unveiled a bold new strategy to strengthen collaboration toward preventing premature deaths from heart disease and other non-communicable diseases, which currently account for 27% of all deaths in Nigeria—close to 447,800 lives every year. Government officials, health care professionals, researchers, […]
Five countries commit to implementing comprehensive sodium reduction policies to improve health and save at least 39,000 lives per year
New commitments made at 77th World Health Assembly event hosted by Resolve to Save Lives and NCD Alliance 28 May 2024 (GENEVA, SWITZERLAND)—Bangladesh, Cameroon, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Singapore made new commitments today to implement comprehensive policies that will protect their populations from the harms of high-sodium diets. These commitments, made during the 77th World Health […]
Salt reduction event at 77th World Health Assembly
At this year’s 77th World Health Assembly, Resolve to Save Lives and NCD Alliance cohosted an in-person side event, as part of our collaboration with WHO, about the importance of focusing on salt reduction within comprehensive food policies. Representatives from Cameroon, Singapore, Thailand and Colombia shared how their countries have prioritized policies that reduce salt […]
Colombia leads on reducing salt-related diseases
One in three Colombians has high blood pressure raising their risk of heart disease, stroke and other non-communicable diseases. One major cause is eating too much salt—Colombians consume on average more than double the WHO recommended amount each day. In a new video by RTSL and NCD Alliance, Colombia shares how they’ve teamed up with civil society organizations […]
Introducing Resolve to Save Lives India
Resolve to Save Lives is now registered in India allowing for more efficient program support. Located in New Delhi, the India office looks forward to continued progress in hypertension management, trans fat elimination and sodium reduction.
WHO’s 2nd Edition Sodium Benchmark’s report
Just ahead of salt awareness week, WHO released its second edition of the global sodium benchmarks, “Global sodium benchmarks for different food categories“, detailing efforts to reduce global sodium intake by 30% by 2025. The report release was supported by a webinar that highlighted lessons learned from the first report, current progress on global salt […]
Salt reduction progress and lessons learned from Thailand
Sodium reduction is not only life-saving, it also saves costs. In a new article for The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia, we join the Thai Low Salt Network and others to detail recent accomplishments and lessons learned advocating for the nationwide reduction of salt intake throughout Thailand.
New tool helps governments combat nutrients of concern
Global Health Advocacy Incubator, supported by partners Resolve to Save Lives, Vital Strategies, and the O’Neill Institute, published a new resource designed to help governments shape a healthier food environment: Nutrient Profile Models: A valuable tool for developing healthy food policies. The accompanying blog and webinar dive into what nutrient profile models are and how […]
Salt substitutes can help treat high blood pressure
In a new article published in the American Heart Association’s scientific journal Hypertension, we joined international experts in the call to include salt substitutes in the treatment for high blood pressure. Salt substitutes reduce risk for heart attack and stroke while also adding much-needed potassium to the diet.
Healthier meals in schools throughout Karnataka, India
In partnership with Resolve to Save Lives, Vision for Social Development piloted a program in Karnataka, India in November 2021 that successfully reduced the amount of salt added to school meals provided under the PM POSHAN Scheme (previously ‘Mid-day Meal’ Scheme ). The successful program will now be expanded statewide, giving children across Karnataka access […]
Protecting children from excess salt in Nepal
More children in Nepal will soon have access to healthy foods with the commitment of three municipalities in the Kathmandu region—Tokha, Thimi, and Kageshwori—to pass nutrition standards, including limits on sodium content, in schools and public facilities. This work, supported by Resolve to Save Lives, builds on progress in the Budhanilkantha municipality, which adopted a […]
Salt Awareness Week: May 15-21, 2023
Resolve to Save Lives is highlighting the risks of eating too much salt and sharing ways people can cut back.
Quezon City’s healthy public food procurement policy: a model for the Philippines and beyond
Supporting public health by establishing nutrition standards (including limits on salt, sugar and trans fat) for all food suppliers to public offices.
Sodium reduction policies could save 7 million lives by 2030
The World Health Organization’s first-ever Global Report on Sodium Intake Reduction shows that the world is off-track on its target of reducing global sodium intake by 30% by 2025. Developed with support from RTSL’s nutrition team, the report includes strategies and case studies to help countries make concrete progress on sodium reduction. Read the full […]
Massive efforts needed to reduce salt intake and protect lives
“Countries must work urgently to implement ambitious, mandatory, government-led sodium reduction policies to meet the global target of reducing salt consumption by 2025,” said Dr Tom Frieden.
New Global Nutrition Database for Packaged Foods
Our new Global Nutrition Database for Packaged Foods makes data on sodium, sugar and saturated fat content in packaged foods from around the world available in one central location. The database – which currently hosts packaged food nutrient data for 25 countries – allows policymakers, advocates, and nutrition experts to compare average nutrient content for […]
India is on the way to gaining independence from its biggest killer, cardiovascular disease
For the Economic Times, our President and CEO, Dr. Tom Frieden, wrote about India’s impressive achievements in improving heart health. The country has been a leader in trans fat elimination and has made important commitments to reducing salt intake and improving control of high blood pressure. Read the full piece here: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/i…
RTSL India team hosts technical consultation with cardiovascular health partners
On May 19, the India team held its first technical consultation in New Delhi, India, which highlighted both hypertension control and salt reduction initiatives supported by RTSL Key partners represented included the World Health Organization, the Indian Council of Medical Research, the Ministry of Health, Global Health Advocacy Incubator, PATH, GRID Council, JHPIEGO, the George […]
Op-Ed: Stopping a Pandemic Deadlier Than Covid
Every year, cardiovascular disease kills twice as many people, at a younger average age, as Covid has at its worst, and since 2020, there’s been a surge in fatalities from heart disease and stroke in the U.S.
Delayed Finalization of Sodium Targets in the US May Cost 250,000 Lives by 2031
Yesterday, Resolve to Save Lives published an article with the Queen Mary University of London and World Action on Salt and Sugar, spotlighting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new targets for reducing sodium in processed foods. The delay in finalizing these targets may have cost more than 250,000 lives. If they are implemented quickly, […]
FDA’s 4-Year Delay in Finalizing Sodium Reduction Targets May Cause 265,000 Deaths Over 14 Years, Study Says
New sodium targets could save over 400,000 lives and billions of dollars in the next decade
Low sodium salt could save millions of lives
Our president and CEO Dr. Tom Frieden called for governments around the world to make low-sodium salts more accessible, citing a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that highlights the potential of low-sodium salts to prevent heart attack and stroke and save lives.
LINKS Community launches Public Funds for Healthy Foods Campaign
The LINKS Community kicked off a “Public Funds for Healthy Foods” campaign to encourage advocacy for health public food procurement policies that include limits on sodium and trans fats. Read more on what you can do to promote healthy public food procurement policies in your community.
ImagineLaw champions successful healthy food procurement policy in Quezon City, Philippines
Quezon City became the first city in the Philippines to offer only food options that are low in salt and free from trans fats in its public institutions, departments and offices. Resolve grantee ImagineLaw successfully advocated for the food procurement policy, which establishes nutritional standards for foods served and sold in public settings.
Resolve to Save Lives awards over $1 million in grants to improve cardiovascular health during COVID-19 pandemic
9 programs will save lives by improving cardiovascular health