Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Thank you very much for being with us today to discuss this very important matter.
When I hear people from the restaurant or food products industries—after all, we know that most of the salt consumed by the public essentially comes from those two sectors—when I hear them express satisfaction with voluntary targets, I really ask myself why. Is it because since the working group on dietary sodium reduction was established—since 2007, that is— they have put in place a strategy to make major reductions in salt in the products they provide to the public? Or, on the other hand, as we seem to be hearing, is it because they have to make sure that all the parties involved are working together because that is what the public wants? Or is it also to delay the implementation of a real strategy?
We know, of course, that measures that are voluntary—the word says it all—are not binding. It's “if we like“ and “if we feel that way inclined“. But the target that the working group set was to reduce salt intake by about 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams by 2016. That is six years. They want to go from 3,400 milligrams to 2,300 milligrams in six years.
Ms. Tanaka told us that it will take time before real changes in the manufacture of their products can be made. So I would like to ask the restaurant and food products people a question. Since 2007—that is three years ago now, quite a long time. Ms. Tanaka, you told us that it takes two years to change your products and your methods. So what has really been done since 2007 to put changes into effect? Will we be seeing a real revolution in reduced salt intake on our shelves and on the menus in our restaurants anytime soon, in weeks, in months?