Salt Reduction: Why WHO’s SHAKE 2.0 Initiative Matters

Too much salt on the plate means too much pressure in the arteries, more heart attacks, and more strokes. Despite decades of warnings, global sodium consumption remains dangerously high; on average, more than twice the limit recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

In response to this collective failure, WHO released the second edition of its “SHAKE the Salt Habit” package on May 12, 2026, during World Salt Awareness Week. This fully updated reference tool is designed to accelerate government action.

Photo by Jason Tuinstra on Unsplash

SHAKE is an acronym representing five complementary intervention areas:

• S – Surveillance: Measure population sodium intake, salt content in foods, and dietary sodium sources.

• H – Harness Industry: Engage industry in reformulating products and reducing sodium content.

• A – Adopt Standards: Adopt nutrition labelling standards and sodium limits for packaged foods.

• K – Knowledge: Educate and raise awareness among consumers through mass communication campaigns.

• E – Environment: Transform food environments through institutional food services, marketing restrictions, and sodium substitutes.

The updated SHAKE package responds to a well-documented urgency: the goal of reducing sodium intake by 30% by 2030, set by the World Health Assembly, is currently off track.

This second edition incorporates seven evidence-based intervention types:

• Food reformulation

• Front-of-package nutrition labelling (FOPL)

• Public procurement and institutional food policies

• Restrictions on food marketing directed at children

• Taxation of unhealthy high-sodium foods

• Public communication and behaviour-change campaigns

• Low-sodium salt substitutes (LSSS) to replace table salt where appropriate

What This Means for Public Health in Cameroon

In Cameroon, several major sources of sodium have been identified, including:

• Salt added during cooking

• Seasoning cubes

• Smoked and dried foods

• Processed foods

Despite this, the country does not yet have a formal national sodium reduction policy. The launch of SHAKE 2.0 therefore serves both as a warning signal and as an operational roadmap.

The following actions could be considered:

• Surveillance First (S): Initiate a national study of sodium intake (through 24-hour urinary sodium excretion or dietary assessment). This essential first step could be integrated into WHO STEPS surveys already conducted in Cameroon.

• Engage the Local Food Industry (H): Work with manufacturers of bouillon cubes, condiments, and snack foods to adopt progressive reformulation targets, using WHO sodium benchmarks for 70 food subcategories.

• Nutrition Labelling (A): Strengthen regulations on prepackaged food labelling sold in Cameroon by making sodium content disclosure mandatory and developing an easy-to-understand interpretive labelling system.

• Communication and Nutrition Education (K): Integrate salt-reduction messages into school programs, primary healthcare consultations, and national media campaigns, while taking local languages and cultures into account.

• Institutional Catering and Public Facilities (E): Hospitals, universities, school canteens, and government cafeterias offer immediate opportunities to reduce sodium exposure among large populations while serving as positive social models.