Publication: Evaluation of salt content in meals available at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Health Campus cafeteria
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Date
2025-01
Authors
Jaafar, Nurul Huda
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Abstract
Meals sold in campus cafeteria are source of food for students, staff and lecturers,
particularly during lunch hour. People tend to have lunch on campus during lunch hour to
save time and energy compared to dining off-campus. The addition of table salt and sauces
to food is very common in Malaysian practices and has been identified as a major
contributor to sodium intake. Despite its essential role in nerve and muscle function,
consuming excessive sodium can have detrimental health effects. This study aimed to
analyse the salt content of meals available in campus cafeterias, categorised into two
groups, namely main meals and snack foods to encourage consumers to make informed
food choices. Main meals (0.975 g/100 g) were found to have higher average salt content
compared to snacks (0.562 g/100 g). Food items were categorised into three levels of
sodium, low (<120 mg/100 g), medium (120-599 mg/100 g) and high (>600 mg/100 g).
60% of the selected food items in this study fell within the medium sodium level. In the
low sodium level category, snacks were the main contributors with cek mek molek
containing the least sodium. In contrast, main meals dominated the high sodium category.
This may be due to the use of various seasonings and sauces during cooking, which often
serve as preservatives, flavour and colour enhancers and stabilizers. The highest sodium
content was observed in gulai ikan masin (1584.3 mg/100 g). These findings can raise
awareness among consumers and food providers, encouraging collaborative efforts in salt reduction strategy therefore potentially reduce the prevalence of non-communicable
diseases in Malaysia.