Consumer acceptability and salt perception of foods with a reduced sodium content

Abstract

The human being has been able to progressively adapt to changes in the intake of a wide range of naturally occurring foods, brought about during the agricultural revolution, because nutrient combinations (carbohydrates, fats and proteins) generally remained relatively constant. With the industrial revolution, however, radical changes have occurred, especially in developing countries (WHO, 1990: I 0). These include changes in life-styles and health patterns, characterized by an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases, changes of principal causes of death as well as changes in dietary intake (Romieu, 1997). These changes are characteristics typical to the ''Nutrition Transition", defined by Voster et aI., (1995) as "the change in dietary patterns and nutrient intake associated with urbanization, acculturation or westernization. " Changes in dietary intake are due to several factors, not only related to consumer changes, but also to the technology of the industry (Sasson, 1990:96) including food processing, distribution and production methods. Increases in the number of people movrng from rural to urban communities, accompanied by radical changes in diet (WHO, 1990:28) and changes in attitude towards foods typical of industrialized countries (Sasson, 1990:96) have resulted in abandoning of traditional food habits. The industrial revolution, together with imitation of food intake patterns Of affluent social classes of industrialized countries (Sasson, 1990:97), have led to major changes in the nutritional composition of the diet in developing countries. The immediate health benefit of this increased and assured food supply has been the elimination of starvation and micronutrient deficiency diseases in many communities (Visek, 1994:555). On the other hand, rapid industrialization and acculturation, especially of the Black populations in many parts of Africa (Bourne et aI., 1993), places communities at risk of developing several degenerative diseases (Bourne et aI., 1993; Sasson, 1990:97; Visek, 1994:555). The affluent diet is characterized by an excessive intake of energy-dense foods, rich in fat and deficient in unrefined carbohydrate foods, which are the main source of dietary fiber (V oster et aI., 1995). Changes in population diets in developing countries have been reflected in the disease and mortality profiles of migrant populations, moving from countries with a low-risk for developing degenerative diseases to high-risk countries (WHO, 1990:11). In many instances, South Africa is considered a multi-cultural developing country with broad gradients in socio-econornic and cultural factors influencing eating patterns (Voster et ~ 1995). Large segments of our population are presently in the process of urbanization. In South Africa, a projection for the year 2010 estimates that seventy percent of South Africa's population will be urbanized at that time, affecting mainly the Black population (Bourne et al .. 1993).