Implementing the national strategy of salt reduction in Morocco: the baker´s perspective

INTRODUCTION: Morocco launched a national salt reduction strategy in 2019. The commitment of bakeries is key in the success of this strategy. However, the evaluation of such a commitment is not yet done. This study aims to examine knowledge of bakers about the national strategy of salt reduction and evaluate their commitment in implementing the specific recommendation related to salt reduction in bread. METHODS: a quantitative exploratory study targeted bakeries (N=432) from all the administrative regions of Morocco. Data was collected using a questionnaire composed of three sections: knowledge of bakers related to national strategy of salt, current contribution of bakers in implementing the national strategy and future commitment towards implementing the national strategy. RESULTS: about 73% (n=317) bakers lack of knowledge about the recommendations on the progressive reduction of the salt content in bread. Radio and TV were the most used sources to obtain information by bakers (45.2% (n=52) and 35.6% (n=41) respectively). None of the bakers was informed about the process of gradual reduction of salt content in bread, and none of them was committed to it. A total of 60.32% (n=252) of bakeries do not respect the national recommendations of 10g of salt/Kg of flour while 89.6% (n=387) of bakers express their interest in getting committed to the process in the next 2 years. CONCLUSION: increasing the knowledge of bakers is highly recommended to guarantee their commitment toward contributing to the strategy of reducing salt in bread. Dissemination of messages via TV and radio could be appropriate.