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botulism warning from food firms Food producers say that public health could be endangered by the Food Standards Agency's latest salt reduction targets. The warning about increasing potentially fatal cases of the food bug botulism comes amid growing concerns over new salt targets for foods such as bacon and ham, sausages, crisps and cakes. Claire Cheney, director general of the Provision Trade Federation, is one of an increasing number of food industry representatives who have hit back at the FSA's "unrealistic" targets. She was quote in The Times as saying: "This will force us to reduce the shelf-life further and with that come serious food safety concerns, not least the risk of botulism." Her view is supported by the British Meat Processors Association. And the British Sandwich Association has denounced the targets as "absolutely staggering." Jim Winship, chairman of the BSA, said: "We are already getting complaints from retailers that consumers don't like the blandness of many sandwiches to meet existing salt targets. We'll soon be at a point where people stop buying sandwiches and make them at home where they add as much salt as they want." Peter Sherratt, general secretary of the Salt Association, said: "This is further evidence of the Food Standards Agency's nanny-state blanket approach to telling us what we can eat. There is growing evidence to suggest that some sectors of the population may actually be at risk from following blanket advice on salt reduction. They include the elderly, those who sweat heavily when they exercise and also pregnant women." (See The Times Online coverage) (See The Grocer coverage)
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