Salt profile and content in foods prepared in restaurants and bakeries: Analysis of the 2 main urban centers in Cape Verde

Background: The excessive intake of sodium from salt is associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases. According to the Noncommunicable Diseases Survey (DNS, N/P), more than 35% of the Cape Verdean population is considered hypertensive. There are no data on the salt content of foods prepared by restaurants and bakeries in Cape Verde. Methods This was a cross-sectional study with a qualitative-quantitative approach conducted in bakeries and restaurants in the cities of Praia and Mindelo in Cape Verde. A total of 155 questionnaires were administered, and 152 food samples were collected for salt content analysis. The salt content (g/100 g) was determined by evaluating chlorides through titration by the Mohr method. The presence of iodine in the salt was evaluated by a rapid salt iodization test (Iodized Salt Field Test Kit). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The salt content in the foods from the establishments in the 2 cities was compared by the chi-square test. Results Most restaurants and bakeries use iodized salt (97%) of national origin (81%), from the islands of Sal (45.6%) and Maio (20.9%). A total of 83.3% of the bakery managers reported following a standard that regulates the amount of salt to be used in bread preparation; 12% of restaurant managers reported following similar standards. Approximately 63.3% of the bread samples had salt contents greater than 1.4 g/100 g. The mean salt content recorded in meals was 1.3 ± 0.5 g/100 g in Praia and 1.4 ± 0.5 g/100 g in Mindelo. Approximately 41% of the meals collected from restaurants in Praia and 55% in Mindelo had a salt content between 5.20 g and 10.83 g. Conclusions Restaurants and bakeries in the cities of Praia and Mindelo use salt in a nonstandardized manner, requiring special attention from all stakeholders. The results of this study may contribute to the redesign of salt intake reduction strategies in Cape Verde.