Developing a policy to reduce the salt content of food consumed outside the home in Malaysia

马来西亚的盐摄入量非常高，平均每天摄入量约为9克。高盐摄入会升高血压，高血压会增加患心血管疾病（CVD）的风险，包括中风和心脏病。在马来西亚，几乎三分之一的成年人患有高血压，而心血管疾病是死亡和残疾的主要原因，这给社区和卫生服务带来了巨大的负担。我们之前评估了马来西亚人对盐的认识和知识。大多数人都知道吃太多盐会导致健康问题，但超过一半的人认为他们摄入的盐量恰到好处。我们还发现，在家庭以外消费的食物，例如餐馆，是典型饮食中盐的主要贡献者，大多数人定期外出就餐。在户外消费的食物中，盐的含量可能非常高，但如果没有营养标签，消费者就不知道盐的含量。我们将采访全国各地的利益相关者，以确定他们认为哪些因素可能会阻止减少户外食品中盐含量的政策，我们将利用这些数据制定策略，解决提出的所有问题。然后，我们将获得政策制定者的承诺，将我们的战略作为政策加以实施。为了确保公众参与和支持这项政策，我们将举办研讨会，向厨师和其他食品行业代表解释为什么应该减少盐的摄入量，以及他们可以使用的减少食物中盐的方法。我们的工作将惠及全体人口-几乎每个人都将从减少盐摄入量中受益，因为几乎每个人都摄入的盐远远超过推荐量。

Salt intake in Malaysia is very high, with an average intake of around 9g per day. A high salt intake raises blood pressure and high blood pressure increases the risk of developing a cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes stroke and heart disease. Almost a third of adults have high blood pressure in Malaysia and CVD is the main cause of death and disability, which places a huge burden on communities and health services.We previously assessed awareness and knowledge of salt in Malaysia. The majority of the population knew that eating too much salt could cause health problems but more than half thought they consumed just the right amount of salt. We also found that foods consumed outside the home e.g. from restaurants are major contributors of salt to the typical diet and the majority of the population eat out on a regular basis. The salt content of food consumed outside the home is likely to be very high, but without nutrition labelling consumers are unaware of the salt content.We will interview stakeholders across the country to determine what factors they feel might prevent a policy to reduce salt levels in the out of home sector and we will use this data to develop a strategy, addressing all issues raised. We will then gain commitment from policy makers to implement our strategy as policy. To ensure engagement and support for the policy, we will organise workshops to explain to chefs and other food industry representatives why salt should be reduced, and the methods they can use to reduce salt in food.Our work will benefit the entire population - almost everyone stands to benefit from a reduction in salt intake as almost everyone eats far more salt than recommended.