The great British breakfast, comprising chiefly of a plate of bacon, sausage and eggs, is apparently under threat --- thanks largely to the Government targets of bringing about a reduction in salt levels in food!

According to butchers as well as other food retailers, the health decree aimed at bringing down the salt levels may end up spoiling the taste of some of Britain's favourite dishes, with the greatest difficulties coming the way of the producers of bacon and sausages.

Despite the fact that over 60 food companies and supermarkets have vowed to meet salt reduction targets that have been agreed by the Coalition, they are now apprehensive that the move may compromise the well-liked tastes of their products; and bring down the benefits of salt as a preservative.

With reduction of sodium levels to 1.13g of salt per 100g of food - with a higher 2.88g limit permissible for bacon - being targeted by the U. K. Department of Health by 2012, some butchers fear that the lowered levels of salt will have to be compensated with additional additives so that the taste of food remains tempting enough to the consumers.

In fact, since some popular brands of sausages and bacon contain two times more salt than the government's 2012 target, a few independent butchers have already said that they will not be changing their prized recipes to meet the demands of the "salt police" because their products "will no longer taste the way customers want them to"!