The town that's banned salt: Shakers taken off chip-shop counters and put out of sigh

[R.R]

Quote:By Jaya Narain
Last updated at 8:20 AM on 31st March 2011

It began with the food police reducing the number of holes in salt shakers.

Now they have gone a step further and removed the shakers altogether to hide them from view.

Fish-and-chip shops, cafes, restaurants, takeaways and curry houses will take salt containers off their counters and table tops under the latest push by a council to cut its residents’ salt consumption.

Customers will have to ask staff specifically to hand over the shakers if they want to add salt to their meals.

Stockport council is one of the first councils in Greater Manchester to adopt the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ health initiative.

The scheme, called ASK, is voluntary and if it proves successful it could be expanded nationwide.

It follows a series of initiatives to reduce the salt added to food by diners.

In 2008 town halls reduced the number of holes in salt shakers from the traditional 17 to five after research suggested this could cut the amount people sprinkle on their food by more than half.

Councils ordered thousands of five-hole shakers – at taxpayers’ expense – and gave them away to chip shops and takeaways in their areas.

The ASK campaign aims to cut excessive salt consumption, which has been linked to high blood pressure, stomach cancer and asthma.

The scheme has been welcomed by health professionals and celebrity chefs including Paul Heathcote.

Diner Paul Edwards, 36, said: ‘It is preposterous. We should all be responsible for our own health – anything less means they’re treating us like idiots. They will be confiscating chocolate bars next.’

The removal of the salt shakers comes just months before supermarkets are to be expected to remove cigarette displays under a new Government-enforced ban – while newsagents and smaller stores will have to remove tobacco from sight by 2013.

Full article:

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