The Food Standards Agency has set new salt reduction targets for 80 types of foods in a bid to reduce the daily average intake of salt to 6g a day per person.
Food retailers and manufacturers of foods with traditionally high salt levels, such as bread, savoury snacks and some meat products, have been set the new voluntary targets which they will be asked to meet by 2012.
The FSA said it was reviewing targets because there `is clearly scope for some parts of industry to do more`.
Rosemary Hignett, head of nutrition at the FSA, said: "The UK is leading the way in Europe and beyond in salt reduction. The reductions which have already been achieved in the UK are already saving lives.
"To continue to make progress we have set 2012 targets at levels that will make a further real impact on consumers’ intakes, while taking into account technical and safety issues associated with taking salt out of food.
`We welcome the reductions in salt levels that have already been achieved by industry, and its continued cooperation is vital if we are to continue to improve public health. The 2012 targets are challenging, but we also believe them to be achievable, though we will continue to monitor this."
The news was released on the same day that Marco Pierre White launched a campaign to urge people to look after their hearts by eating less salt.
White told the Daily Express he suffered from high blood pressure while working in the kitchen during his twenties, and said it was aggravated by the levels of salt he was eating.
“Doctors were worried about my blood pressure as my heart was at risk, but since I cut salt out of my diet my blood pressure dropped," he told the newspaper.
High street restaurant salt levels are double the RDA