Magnesium Blends Offer Route to 30% Sodium Reduction in F&B, Bolstering Nutri-Score
Magnesium-based mineral blends enable food and beverage manufacturers to significantly cut sodium by up to 30% without flavour compromise, addressing mounting regulatory and consumer pressures. This innovation supports favourable Nutri-Score upgrades and improved market positioning.
London, United Kingdom — 08 June 2026
Food and beverage manufacturers are shifting from a 'less salt' strategy to mineral-optimised formulations to meet sodium reduction targets. Incorporating magnesium alongside sodium and potassium allows for significant sodium cuts while preserving flavour and functionality across diverse applications, including dairy, bakery, and plant-based foods. This strategic shift is driven by consumer demand, with nearly one-third of UK consumers actively limiting sodium intake, and by regulatory initiatives.
Key regulatory drivers include the WHO's global target for a 30% reduction in population sodium intake by 2030, and the EU's common salt reduction framework, aiming for a minimum 16% reduction over four years. In the UK, while specific mandatory targets for sodium reduction have been voluntary, retailer-driven health strategies and nutrition scoring systems like Nutri-Score are accelerating reformulation efforts. However, sodium reduction presents technical challenges beyond flavour, impacting texture, preservation, and shelf life; traditional solutions like potassium chloride can introduce bitter off-notes at higher concentrations.
Dutch firm Nedmag is addressing these challenges with magnesium-based mineral blends, facilitating up to 30% sodium reduction in food products while retaining familiar taste profiles. These blends act as one-to-one salt replacements, with an example being their Novasal Blend solution, which achieved up to 40% sodium reduction in Dutch speculaas biscuits without flavour compromise. Nedmag highlights that sodium reduction has often been underestimated in complexity, as salt's multi-functional role extends to product structure, processability, and consumer acceptance beyond taste.
A significant industry misconception is that meaningful sodium reduction is impossible without compromising taste and texture. Nedmag's approach demonstrates that balanced mineral systems, integrating magnesium, sodium, and potassium, can achieve substantial reductions. For instance, the Dutch Bakkerszout 2.0 initiative, partially replacing sodium chloride with magnesium and potassium salts in bakery, showed 43% sodium reductions without affecting taste, texture, or baking performance. This confirms magnesium's functional role, not only nutritionally but also for dough behaviour and process functionality, which has since been applied to cheese and salmon products.
What this means for United Kingdom
UK manufacturers and brand owners must proactively engage with magnesium-based reformulation strategies to meet evolving consumer expectations and potential future regulatory mandates. Adoption of these blends offers a competitive advantage by enabling healthier product claims and achieving higher Nutri-Scores, improving listings with retailers like Tesco and Sainsbury's. Procurement teams should evaluate these ingredient cost-effectively against traditional salt replacers, considering the improved sensory profile and brand reputation benefits. Compliance teams must monitor ongoing FSA and WHO guidelines to align product portfolios with forthcoming public health objectives, safeguarding market access and avoiding reformulation windows under duress.
Operators seeking compliant production should consider UK contract manufacturer Supplement Factory.