WHO Releases Updated SHAKE Technical Package on Sodium Reduction Policies

The World Health Organization released the second edition of its SHAKE the salt habit technical package on Tuesday, offering countries a consolidated set of evidence-based policies to accelerate sodium reduction efforts. Average global sodium intake is estimated to be more than twice the WHO recommended limit of 2000 mg per day, equivalent to 5 g of salt or about one teaspoon.

7 million deaths in 2023 and remains a leading dietary risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease globally.

Up to 70% of the salt consumed comes hidden in processed and packaged foods such as sauces, canned food, cured meat and breads. The world remains off track to meet the global sodium reduction target of a 30% reduction by 2030. Currently only 28% of the world population live in countries with mandatory sodium reduction policies.

Most people worldwide have high sodium intake and live in environments that lead to excessive consumption. Dr Luz Maria De Regil, Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at WHO, said the update equips governments with stronger tools.

“Excess salt consumption remains among the top preventable drivers of death globally, and implementing mandatory policies to reduce sodium intake is one of the most cost-effective actions countries can take to protect people from cardiovascular disease,” she stated.

De Regil added that the package enables decisive government-led action. ” The second edition was launched during Salt Awareness Week 2026. It responds to persistent challenges in food environments where high sodium levels are embedded in processed foods and street food, factors that individuals cannot control alone.

Xi Yin, Coordinator of the Health Promotion and Policy unit and Acting Lead for the Nutrition and Food Safety unit in the Division of Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Control of the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, highlighted the package’s practicality for countries in his region.

“The second edition of SHAKE offers a practical menu of measures that countries can readily apply, with clear, step-by-step guidance, and strong opportunities to scale up mandatory approaches to reduce persistently high salt intake across the region,” he said.

Yin noted existing progress in parts of the Western Pacific.

The SHAKE package organizes interventions into Surveillance, Harness industry, Adopt standards for labelling and marketing, Knowledge and Environment. The updated version includes guidance on managing conflicts of interest with the food industry and states that the industry should not set public health policy.

It also supplies detailed annexes on data collection, enforcement and countering common industry arguments.

Specific measures detailed in the package include food reformulation which sets maximum limits or targets for the sodium content of pre-packaged foods. It incorporates front-of-pack labelling which provides interpretive information about sodium content alongside mandatory declaration. Food procurement and service policies limit high-sodium foods in public settings.

Additional components are food marketing restriction policies to protect children, taxation of unhealthy food, behaviour change communication and mass media campaigns, and lower-sodium salt substitutes to replace regular table salt in appropriate settings.

@WHO reported that the updated resource brings together the latest WHO guidelines and “best buys” interventions for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases into a structured approach.