Multi-Stakeholder Working Group on Dietary Sodium Reduction (Sodium Working Group, SWG)

December 3-4, 2009, Ottawa, On

Summary Report of the Meeting

SWG members met on December 3 and 4, 2009.

The main meeting objectives were to:

• Discuss and refine an initial draft of the Working Group's strategy report including draft recommendations.
• Receive updates on work underway under the strategy's three "prongs" (Food Supply, Research, and Education & Awareness) and consider the implications for the strategy report.
• Begin the review of specific sodium-related issues (Tools to enhance sodium reduction) in the areas which the Working Group may consider making recommendations.
• Discuss how the sodium reduction strategy should be measured and reported upon.

Key Outcomes

Strategy Report

Working Group members agreed to deliver a final strategy report outlining its key findings and recommendations to the Minister of Health in June 2010. They also agreed to produce a series of implementation reports providing progress updates on the implementation of the strategy. Health Canada will strive to issue the first implementation report simultaneously with the strategy report. Others will follow at regular intervals.

Members also reviewed and offered detailed comments on an initial draft of the strategy report. The report will be revised accordingly.

Updates

The SWG received updates on work completed and underway within each of the strategy's three prongs.

The Food Supply Sub-Committee delivered a presentation summarizing the results of eight (8) meetings with food industry stakeholders. The purpose of these meetings were to inform participants about Health Canada's approach to reducing sodium in foods and initiate discussion on draft proposed sodium targets for certain foods. As a result of these meetings, the food industry has begun close examination of the draft proposed targets and will be providing feedback to Health Canada. WG members offered their initial views on the outcomes, noting that industry participation in the process of setting sodium targets for processed foods will be a key factor for success. The results will be captured progressively in the first and subsequent implementation reports.

The Research Sub-Committee provided an update on plans for a multi-sectoral research workshop, entitled "Developing a Research Agenda to Support Sodium Reduction in Canada" which is being organized by CIHR. The workshop itself will take place in January 2010. The outcomes will be used to inform the SWG's recommendations. Members also received presentations on two studies that sought to quantify sodium intake using 24-hour urine testing, and considered their implications for monitoring progress toward reducing sodium consumption.

The Education & Awareness Sub-Committee provided an update on the development of the overall education strategy. There was general agreement that education and awareness must focus on the full range of stakeholders, including the general public, health professionals, and the food industry. Members also received a presentation by Decima Research on the results of a public opinion research study that sought to inform the SWG's understanding of public knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to sodium consumption. The study provided valuable information on how the public views their sodium consumption habits, as well as an understanding of where the public education challenges may lay. Members discussed how findings from the Decima research and other evidence will serve to revise directions for the education campaign messages.

Monitoring And Evaluation

The SWG discussed the importance of a robust monitoring and evaluation plan in order to measure the success of the sodium reduction strategy against clear benchmarks. Members appointed a Monitoring & Evaluation Sub-Committee to develop the plan. The new Sub-Committee will report back on their progress at the next SWG meeting.

Messages from The SWG Meeting

Members agreed to a list of key messages about the two-day meeting to be used for communication purposes. They are, as follows:

• The Sodium Working Group (SWG) met on December 3-4, 2009 to discuss and refine its strategy report.
• The SWG will table its strategy report for the Minister's consideration in June 2010, along with the first of several implementation reports providing progress updates on the implementation of the strategy. The implementation reports will be released at regular intervals following the release of the first report.
• The SWG has discussed an initial draft of the strategy report; several sections of the report now exist in draft form. The group has reached consensus on several of its recommendations, with a focus on specific measures to help reduce sodium intake in the Canadian population.
• It has also begun to consider the budget implications, in terms of implementation costs and downstream savings to the health system.
• In addition, members received updates on the work of the three SWG sub-committees:
  • The Food Supply Sub-Committee presented an overview of the eight (8) meetings with food industry stakeholders, during which participants discussed and provided initial feedback on draft proposed sodium reduction targets for different food categories, and offered its recommendations for finalizing targets for consideration by the SWG.
  • The Research Sub-Committee provided an update on plans for a multi-sectoral research workshop, the focus of which will be to identify key themes for sodium-related research and evaluation activities. The workshop itself will take place in January 2010. Members also received presentations on two studies that sought to quantify sodium intake using 24-hour urine testing.
  • The Education & Awareness Sub-Committee provided an update on the development of the overall education strategy. Members also received a presentation on public opinion research study that sought to inform the SWG's understanding of public knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to sodium consumption.
• The results of these updates will be used to focus and refine the SWG's recommendations.
• SWG members also appointed a Monitoring and Evaluation Sub-Committee, directing it to develop a comprehensive performance management strategy with meaningful benchmarks to monitor the strategy's success.

The next SWG meeting will take place in February 2010.