Health Ministry Launches Nationwide Campaign to Curb Salt Consumption

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is turning up the heat on salt consumption with the launch of its new initiative, the “Shake the Salt Habit” campaign. It’s a bold step in a nationwide effort to reduce sodium intake, targeting one of the biggest silent contributors to chronic illnesses in the country. Reporter Jaleeza Roberts has more on what this means for public health and why the issue of salt goes far beyond the shaker.

Jaleesa Roberts, Love News: Today, the Ministry of Health and Wellness launched Shake the Salt Habit, a public health campaign aimed at tackling these very threats. Excessive salt intake is a leading contributor to high blood pressure, often called the silent killer, because it can do damage without the obvious symptoms. It increases the workload on your heart and blood vessels paving the way for strokes and heart attacks. Over time, it can also scar and damage the kidneys, eventually leading to kidney failure. Nutritionist at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Robin Daly, expressed that after today’s launch, implementation will take place countrywide.

Robyn Daly, Nutritionist, Ministry of Health and Wellness: “We want to try every angle we can to ensure that people are taking conscious decisions to improve. How they’re preparing food for us, even for us, for our families, and also the vendors, actually preparing food that we, the consumers, purchase. They will be expected to go to their areas and implement and make sure that when they’re doing training with vendors the nutrition information, especially looking at salt reduction, even fat and even looking at sugar is included.”

Jaleesa Roberts, Love News: The problem is particularly severe in communities where processed foods and salty seasonings dominate the menu. These hidden sources of sodium often push daily intake well beyond recommended limits. By changing behaviors at every level, from schools to supermarkets, the ministry hopes to reshape the national palate. Daly explained that this is not just about reducing salt, it’s about reclaiming health.

Robyn Daly, Nutritionist, Ministry of Health and Wellness: “We have to find a way to train our taste buds to consume less salt because it is a major risk factor for hypertension. And even though a lot of our food preparation is salty, we do eat a lot of salty food we want to make sure that people can reduce. We’re not saying cut it out completely, but the reduction of salt will be very beneficial. So, even if we have foods that are affordable but are salty there are some ways you could actually reduce that before consuming it. So, for example, if something is in a can, we’re avoiding canned foods, but if you do use a can rinse it off. Right, consume less.”

Jaleesa Roberts, Love News: As part of the campaign, MOHW will be training food handlers across the country on practical ways to reduce salt in meal preparation. The initiative targets one of the root sources of excessive sodium intake by equipping cooks, vendors and restaurant staff with healthier seasoning alternatives and techniques that preserve flavor without compromising public health. Principal Public Health Inspector John Boden says that the ministry aims to create widespread dietary changes and promote healthier eating habits at every level of society.

John Boden, Principal Public Health Inspector: “When you look at the different way in which different groups of people use salt within a global setting for example in Belize we put salt before the food is cooked and so that is blended in there. In other countries the salt is placed after. And so if you do, like in the context of Belize, you put salt before and you put salt after that’s a double whammy, because then you have extra salt in it. And, of course this has changed the palate of most people in Belize whereby people like to consume much more salt than is required. And so, of course, that can have ill effects on individuals. So what we are trying to do is to shake the salt. When you use a salt shaker, you use less and you control the way you use salt in your food.”

Jaleesa Roberts, Love News: The Shake the Salt campaign is more than a message. It’s a movement towards better health. And it starts with a simple choice of what goes on your plate. Reporting for Love News, I am Jaleeza Roberts.