Estimated impacts of mandatory sodium reformulation targets on sodium consumption, health outcomes, health sector costs and health equity in Aotearoa New Zealand

Aims Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ), including for M[a]ori, the Indigenous population. Sodium intake is a modifiable CVD risk factor. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) released sodium reduction benchmarks for 58 packaged food categories. We aimed to estimate the health, health-sector cost, and equity impacts of mandating these benchmarks in NZ. Methods Nationally representative data on household food purchases, packaged food sodium content, and dietary intake were used to estimate baseline sodium consumption (2011) and changes

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