The Nanny State

It appears that once again our government are meddling where they aren't needed and won't have any beneficial effect.

This time it is an attempt to reduce the salt in our diets. 

Some time ago we read of a council which tried to reduce salt consumption by insisting that takeaway food shops, primarily fish and chips, only had salt cellars with a reduced number of holes as opposed to those with many holes commonly used.

I doubt that had any effect, people would just shake longer to get the amount of salt they wanted, and very much doubt anyone from the council measured whether there was any benefit.

This time it is being tackled at government level with instructions to manufacturers to reduce salt levels in food stuffs, bacon being a prime example.  Not only is salt a flavouring it is also a preservative.  We therefore risk having products that neither taste as good or last as long!

This has already been demonstrated with HP Sauce.  This already had a lower salt version available for those who choose to reduce their salt intake, but the government insisted the salt level in the standard version was reduced - to the disgust of lovers of the sauce.  It is not as if the changed level will have a significant effect anyway - a reduction of a fraction of a gram in one hundred grams of product translates into a minuscule amount when you consider how little sauce is consumed in any one meal.

What is happening here is that the public are not being given the choice of taking the existing low salt version if they wish, but being forced to have a low salt version.

What next?  Perhaps we will be told that plain crisps should be just that, no salt at all.  Then we can extend it across the rest of the crisp range - for example it will perhaps just be vinegar crisps!

Salt sales in shops will also have to be banned - or maybe put on ration coupons to prevent individuals getting too much.

The reality is that if people want salt with their food they will have salt with their food, whether this be as a constituent or an addition they make at home.

Some of my examples above are extreme and ridiculous - or are they?