Valio Valsa – Reducing Salt for Better Health

Salt has a huge impact on taste but too much salt is a risk for health. Fortunately, Valio Valsa® offers a lower salt intake with same taste.

“It’s essential, but it’s addictive. I know I shouldn’t eat much but it’s confusing,” comments an older consumer in London.

A millennial in the same city says: “Salt is a double edged sword: it is bad for you but it tastes so good.”

Salt clearly adds taste to food, but the awareness of salt’s risks is increasing. Salt includes sodium, and excessive consumption of sodium in our diets is the most significant risk factor in hypertension, or high blood pressure. High blood pressure, in turn, is the single biggest contributor to the reduction of life expectancy worldwide. Hence, a healthy diet usually includes fairly low salt intake.

Less salt without compromising on taste

The World Health Organisation WHO member states have agreed to reduce the global population’s salt intake by a relative 30 % by 2025*.

The food industry has long sought ways to reduce salt content in foods but has struggled to achieve this without compromising on taste – until now!

Valio’s unique innovation, Valio ValSa® is milk mineral salt which uniquely combines exceptional taste with lower levels of sodium – or lower salt content. When Valio ValSa® is used to replace some of the regular salt in food, the salty taste people love can be achieved with a significantly lower amount of sodium.

Valio ValSa® contains minerals naturally found in milk – like potassium, iodine and sodium. The salty taste of Valsa® derives mainly from the potassium naturally present in whey.

Consumers love the new Valio ValSa® products

Even though Valio ValSa® products have considerably less salt than standard products, our new innovative Valsa® products were very positively met by consumers in our market research in the UK.

With our new international product launches, consumers in new markets can now enjoy their cheese and spreadable butter with considerably less salt compared with products with a normal salt content. That can mean, for example, better heart health. We are glad to be able to offer your customers a healthier option for their daily life.

*) EU Commission, Implementation of the EU Salt Reduction Framework, Results of Member States survey, 2012.

Facts

• Valio ValSa® is a milk mineral salt innovation.
• Milk salt consists of the natural minerals in milk: potassium, iodine, magnesium, calcium, as well as sodium. The minerals found in milk come from the fodder eaten by cows.
• The salty taste in milk salt is derived from the potassium that milk naturally contains.
• Ordinary table salt consists almost completely of sodium chloride. Milk salt contains nearly 80 % less sodium than ordinary table salt.