As Salt Awareness Week is observed from May 11 to 17 under the theme ‘Salt It Out’, we are being called to take a serious look at how much salt we consume — and the heavy toll it is taking on our health.

Salt is deeply rooted in Jamaican cuisine. From salt fish to jerk seasoning, soups, and processed snacks, it is often seen as essential for flavour. But, while salt enhances taste, too much of it is quietly fuelling one of Jamaica’s biggest health crises — high blood pressure, or hypertension.

Often called the ‘silent killer’, hypertension rarely shows symptoms until serious complications arise. Yet, it remains one of the leading contributors to heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure in Jamaica and across the Caribbean.