Analysis on the current situation of the use of salt and condiments in restaurants in 6 provinces

Abstract

ObjectiveTo analyze the current status of the use of salt and condiments in restaurant dishes in 6 provinces, including the use rate, usage amount and sodium contribution rate of salt and condiments.MethodsThe data is from the composition information of 8127 dishes in 192 restaurants in the baseline survey of "Action on Salt China-Restaurant Salt Reduction Project" . The median and quartiles are used to describe the use of salt and condiments in dishes and its sodium content. The usage rates of salt and condiments in dishes were compared by chi-square test, and the usage was compared between groups using Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test.ResultsThe usage rates of salt and condiments in the surveyed dishes exceed 50% and 25% respectively. The median amounts of salt, chicken essence/MSG, chicken powder, soy sauce, and other condiments in the dishes were 0.82 g/100 g, 0.86 g/100 g, 1.42 g/100 g and 3.66 g/100 g. The median sodium content of total sodium and salt in dishes, chicken essence/monosodium glutamate/chicken powder, soy sauce and other seasonings are 505.89 mg/100 g, 322.22 mg/100 g, 106.72 mg/100 g, 86.46 mg/100 g and 2.57 mg/100 g. Sodium in restaurant dishes is mainly from condiments (85%-90%), of which salt is the highest contribution, accounting for 32%-58%.ConclusionThe use of salt and condiments in restaurants is different among 6 provinces. Targeted strategy should be adopted to reduce salt as well as reducing the use of other condiments, in order to control the total sodium content in restaurant dishes.

Keywords

• restaurant dishes
• condiments
• sodium content
• sodium source