Catalyst Partnership Grant win to propel salt switch program in Australia

The George Institute for Global Health welcomes news that the "Switch the Salt to Save your Heart" program, led by Dr Kathy Trieu, has been awarded an inaugural Catalyst Partnership Grant by the Heart Foundation.

As a partner, the project is one of only 10 across Australia that will receive $100,000 from the Heart Foundation, as well as support to seek further funding from philanthropy, venture capital and other investment sources. The George Institute is grateful to the Harold Muir Charitable Foundation for the initial seed funding.

"Switch the Salt to Save your Heart" is investigating ways to switch Australia’s salt supply to potassium-enriched salt, to tackle the urgent issue of high blood pressure in Australia. A large body of evidence, including significant global studies by The George Institute, has shown switching standard sodium salt with salt enriched with potassium can lower blood pressure - and reduce heart disease and strokes - at a population level.

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We’re thrilled that our project’s potential to help tackle Australia’s high rates of heart disease and stroke has been recognised through receiving a Catalyst Partnership Grant. This support from Heart Foundation and its network is an impactful endorsement of our vision and we are deeply grateful. Congratulations to all the other awardees – it’s exciting to be among a group of such impressive innovators.

By:

Dr Kathy Trieu

Program Lead - Nutrition Implementation Research, Food Policy program

Modelling by Dr Trieu and team show that switching Australia’s salt supply from regular salt to potassium-enriched salt could prevent around 12,000 heart attacks, strokes and deaths annually. The mandatory use of iodised salt in breads, introduced in 2009 to address iodine deficiency in the population, shows large-scale change can be successfully implemented by the food industry.

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For decades, we’ve been encouraged to reduce our salt intake, but it’s not easy for consumers to do on their own, because much of our salt is already present in processed foods and restaurant meals.

Australians love the taste of salt, and the good thing about potassium-enriched salt is that it tastes like regular salt but it’s better for heart health: it reduces harmful sodium intake while increasing potassium levels, which we know reduces blood pressure.

Our goal is to make potassium-enriched salt the default instead of sodium salt. This switch would be one of the most cost-effective strategies for preventing cardiovascular disease, benefiting almost every Australian. If we can then take it global, it would cement Australia’s position as a leader in public health innovation, on par with transformative initiatives like plain packaging for tobacco or the cervical cancer vaccine.

By:

Dr Kathy Trieu