KHNI’s webinar titled “Solving Sodium – Insights, Science & Strategies to help you navigate the salt space,” provided unique perspectives and current global initiatives surrounding sodium reduction in food/beverages.
Excessive sodium intake is linked to an estimated 1.89 million cardiovascular disease related deaths each year. The global average sodium intake is more than double the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of <2000 mg of sodium (equivalent to <5 g of salt) per day in adults. Reducing sodium in foods is therefore a priority for many governments with more than a quarter of the worlds population living in countries with mandatory measures towards sodium reduction. However, there are challenges around reducing sodium in foods such as taste, texture and preservation.
In this webinar, experts focused on the urgent global health crisis posed by excessive salt consumption. The webinar delved into the multifaceted dimensions of salt reduction efforts, exploring effective policies, industry challenges, innovative solutions, and the commitment of companies to sustainable nutrition. Our experts highlighted the challenges and opportunities for future innovation in the ever-evolving sodium reduction market by answering questions such as;
- What is the current global regulatory landscape for sodium and what public health initiatives are working / not working?
- Innovation in sodium reduction leverages contemporary taste and smell neuroscience and state of art fermentation technologies. What are the latest scientific developments in the area of taste modulation for sodium perception?
- Case studies to demonstrate what are the challenges and solutions for reducing sodium in different applications (such as preservation)?
This webinar offers valuable insights into the evolving global landscape of sodium reduction. Viewers will gain a deeper understanding of the regulatory challenges and opportunities for sodium reduction, explore the latest advancements in sodium reduction technology, and learn from successful product innovation case studies. Join the conversation that will shape the future of sodium reduction and help address this global health crisis.
Our Experts:
Sarah Coe, BSc RNutr, Nutrition Scientist at British Nutrition Foundation
Sarah is an AfN-registered nutritionist and has a BSc in Nutrition from the University of Surrey. Sarah joined the Science team at the BNF in 2009. Sarah is responsible for horizon scanning activities relating to nutrition policy and research and provides editorial and technical support for the British Nutrition Foundation’s journal Nutrition Bulletin. Sarah was Technical Editor and Secretariat of BNF’s 2019 Task Force report Cardiovascular Disease: Diet, Nutrition and Emerging Risk Factors, 2nd Edition, and co-authored one of the chapters of this report.
Alex Woo, PhD, CEO for W2O Food Innovation
Alex is the founder and CEO for W2O, a flavor technology firm for the past fourteen years based in the USA. He specializes in creating Better Food with niche expertise in contemporary taste & smell neuroscience and state of art clean label plant-based ingredients. Food and beverage companies hire him to bring food science to their new product development efforts on topics such as salt reduction, sugar reduction and multisensory eating experience. Food ingredient firms retain him to lead the creation of plant-based ingredients particularly taste modulators. Alex also served as Chief Science Officer Sweeteners for Amyris a precision fermentation clean ingredient company (2019-2021), and as Chief Innovation Officer for Nascent a stevia sweetener leader (2017-2019). He is currently on the science advisory board for Aromyx a biosensor startup, and Advance International a marine protein startup all near Silicon Valley. Prior to that, Alex had held various R&D leadership positions in companies including Pepsi, Starbucks, and Wrigley. He led technical teams to achieve business results. Alex holds a PhD in Food Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison
Kay Marshallsay, PhD, Global Director for Taste Fermentation at Kerry
Kay Marshallsay is the Global Portfolio Director for Taste Fermentation at Kerry. Kay is passionate about the future of fermentation and its role in building a more resilient, sustainable global food system. Kay has worked in the ingredient and flavour industry for over 25-years across many roles in research, business development, and portfolio strategy. Kay holds a BSc in Biochemistry (University College Cork, Ireland) and PhD in Molecular Biology & Physiology (University of Aberdeen, UK) and is a board member of EuraSYP, the Association of Specialty Yeast Products.
Emma Cahill, MSc, Marketing Director
