Excess sodium in industrialized bread puts Mexicans’ health at risk

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The bakery industry is one of the most important in the country, since its production chain reaches a market value of 120 billion pesos, and generates 1.6 million direct and indirect jobs, according to data from Mexipan from 2018.
However, excess consumption of sweet bread and especially packaging bread, has negative health consequences.
Packaged pastries, like cookies and breakfast bars, are products that have an excess of all the critical nutrients indicated by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO): total fat, saturated fat, sodium, and sugars.
An important fact is that industrial bread, both sweet and salty, are the ones most responsible for the excessive intake of sodium in the Mexican diet. 

Together they represent 16 percent of the daily per capita consumption of this critical nutrient, followed by processed meats, which account for 8 percent. In other words, these products are the ones that contribute the most to Mexico consuming 1,150 mg more sodium than the 2,000 mg daily recommended by the World Health Organization. 
This trend is repeated worldwide, although the percentages vary from country to country.
This has been related to high blood pressure. A study consulted by the Obesity Data Laboratory (LabDO) affirms that the consumption of bread increases the risk of this condition and that it is necessary to reduce the levels of this ingredient in the formulas of the bread.
Similarly, prepackaged sweetbreads contain fats and sugars, whose consumption in excess increases unhealthy body weight and puts you at increased risk of suffering from diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular problems.
According to PAHO, the industrial bread category grew in sales in the period from 2009 to 2014, although a smaller increase was expected between 2015 and 2019. 
These contributed 9.4 percent of the energy consumed by ultra-processed products in Mexico and are only below sugary drinks (21.7 percent), cookies (12 percent), and cakes and desserts (10.4 percent).
According to data from Kantar Worldpanel, 37 percent of Mexican households consume bread at least once a week. The average consumption is 3.3 times.
THE NATIONAL MARKET FOR INDUSTRIALIZED BREAD
Mexico is the second-largest market for bakery products in Latin America and the eighth in the world, according to data from Euromonitor, taken over by the government of Canada.
Sales of these products in 2016 amounted to $ 17.6 billion USD. 
From 2012 to 2016, the sector’s transactions increased by 3.3 percent. It is expected that by 2021 it will reach 21.4 billion US dollars. 
Packaged cakes and sweetbreads will grow, between 2017 and 2021, 3.18 and 5.33 percent, respectively.
According to the National Chamber of the Baking Industry, taken up by the Ministry of Economy, the annual per capita consumption of bread is 33.5 kilograms, of which between 70 or 75 percent corresponds to white bread and the remainder, sweet bread, cookies, and cakes.
In Mexico, the undisputed winner of the industrialized bread market is Bimbo, according to data from Euromonitor International for 2019.

Source: Notimex

Mexico Daily Post