Health - Nutrition. How does a 124-euro spoon reduce your salt intake?

Salt is an almost essential flavor enhancer in our meals. But salt is a little too present on our plates. While the WHO estimates that 1.89 million people die each year due to excessive sodium consumption, a Japanese company has found a solution to avoid overdoing salt in our dishes.

Presented at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, a global technology innovation show, the Kirin spoon tricks our taste buds into believing the food we eat contains salt. The spoon emits electrical waves to the tongue. These waves capture the salt naturally present in the food and stimulate the sodium ion taste buds, the ones associated with salty flavors. This eliminates the need to add salt to the dish.

This 2.0 spoon could help Japanese people reduce their salt consumption. Far from the WHO's recommendations—a maximum of 5 grams per day—they consume an average of 11 grams of salt daily. Salt represents a real public health problem in the Land of the Rising Sun, as it does everywhere else in the world.

Global per capita consumption reaches 10.8 grams per day. However, excessive sodium consumption can cause high blood pressure, which increases the risk of obesity, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease. But Kirin's innovation isn't affordable for everyone. To trick their taste buds and put salt away, a Japanese person must pay 20,000 yen, or 124 euros. A rather steep price.