Heart Foundation wins supreme award

The spirit of co-operation between food manufacturers and health promotion groups is proving stronger than ever.

And the result can only mean a healthier future is in store for all NZers.

A ground-breaking health initiative from the National Heart Foundation has won the Supreme Award at the 2008 NZ Health Innovation Awards (HIA).

The foundation’s Project Target 450 – Reducing sodium in bread, won the Excellence in Prevention Award, and was declared the overall winner of the HIA.

Project spokesperson Namalie Jayasinha said the success of the project sets a benchmark for effective collaborations between food producers and health groups.

“It is exciting and very encouraging to see a new trend starting to take shape, whereby food manufacturers are actively increasing their emphasis on health.

“Project Target 450 is a testament to the strength of this movement, and we expect momentum to continue within other areas of the food industry.”

Project Target 450 saw the Heart Foundation work with NZ’s two major bread manufacturers, Goodman Fielder NZ Ltd and George Western Food NZ Ltd, to lower the amount of sodium (salt) in certain breads. These collaborations paved the way to approach private label companies, Foodstuffs NZ and Progressive Enterprises Ltd, and independent bakers, Couplands Bakeries Ltd and Yarrows Bakery.

In 2007 a pilot programme began with the aim of reducing the amount of sodium in low-cost and high-volume breads to 450 milligrams per 100 grams. In some cases, this meant a sodium reduction of approximately 20 per cent.

Feedback from manufacturers suggests that consumers have not noticed the difference. By the time the project has been fully implemented, the Heart Foundation expects that up to 150 tonnes of salt will have been removed from the bread supply.

Heart Foundation food industry manager Dave Monro says he is looking forward to rolling out similar initiatives to other food industry sectors.