Salt comes from various sources in the diet:

• processed (i.e. manufactured, packaged food) and prepared food (i.e. food prepared for consumption outside the home by chefs or cooks in restaurants, takeaways or cafes)
• discretionary salt use (i.e. individuals adding salt at the table or during cooking)
• naturally occurring sodium in products such as meat, dairy and certain vegetables (e.g. celery) which contributes less than 20%

Typically, in high-income countries the largest source of salt is processed or prepared foods - where salt is added by the manufacturer or chef – and is estimated to contribute 75-80% of salt to daily intakes. In low- and middle-income countries however, the largest source of salt is discretionary salt, including the use of salty sauces such as soy sauce. Knowing the sources of salt in the diet allows for targeted and impactful policies.

• WASSH and WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia, 2021. Assessing Sources of Salt
• WHO and PAHO Regional Expert Group for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention through Population-wide Dietary Salt Reduction, 2010. A review of methods to determine the main sources of salt in the diet
• WHO Europe, 2018. Using dietary intake modelling to achieve population salt reduction - A guide to developing a country-specific salt reduction model