Slugging It Out in the UK

Going with the premise that salt kills garden slugs (sadly, one of the joys of this editor's childhood was pouring Morton's on opisthobranch mollusks), the Food Standards Agency in the UK has "hired" an animated spokesslug to head a £4 million campaign that suggests salt also kills humans and calls for restricting salt in foods. Sid the Slug is very cute, but the Salt Manufacturers Association has lodged a complaint against the Advertising Standards Authority, claiming that salt supports life and there's no evidence to show that it has ever been responsible for death. (News-Medical)

The SMA has attacked the government-backed FSA campaign, for ignoring the need for more conclusive research and failing to make a proper assessment of the risks it could pose to some population groups. It believes some groups, such as the elderly and pregnant women, may be at risk from following blanket advice to reduce their salt intake.