People around the world are consuming more sodium from processed and ultra-processed foods—and Bangladesh is no exception. A new country-wide cross-sectional study highlights concerning realities:
97% of participants consumed processed or ultra-processed foods in the past week
Children consumed processed or ultra-processed foods approximately 21 times per week, adolescents 16 times per week, and adults 11 times per week.
63% of surveyed product types exceeded both WHO global- and WHO-SEARO-recommended sodium limits.
40% of surveyed products underreported sodium on the back-of-package nutrient declaration panel, and 9% had no sodium content reported on the label at all.
Urgent action is needed to reduce high sodium levels and enforce correct sodium content declaration on food packaging so consumers in Bangladesh have the information they need to make healthy food choices.
