Introduction: Milk and dairy products may not be major sources of salt, but they can significantly impact total salt intake due to their natural sodium content and added salt during production, which is important for public health given their frequent consumption. This study aimed to evaluate the salt content of packaged milk and dairy products sold in Türkiye and their potential contribution to salt intake based on possible consumption scenarios.Method: In January 2025, data on 747 milk and dairy products were obtained from the online catalogs of two major retail chains in Türkiye, one general and one discount market, and after applying predefined exclusion criteria, 420 products were included in the analysis.
Seven product groups were examined: milk, yogurt, kefir, ayran, and three types of salty cheese. Based on the daily three-serving recommendation in the Türkiye Dietary Guideline, 84 possible consumption combinations obtained from the dataset were analyzed according to the 5 g/day salt limit.Results: The highest mean salt intake was observed in combinations that included at least one serving of ayran (4.2±1.2 g) and very salty cheese (3.1±1.2 g).
Conversely, the lowest salt values were seen in combinations that contained milk (1.9±1.2 g), yogurt (1.4±1.2 g), or kefir (1.9±1.2 g). A significant difference was found among the groups regarding total salt intake and the rate at which the 5 g/day limit was exceeded (H(6) =58.812, p<0.001). Ayran-containing combinations showed significant differences in pairwise comparisons with all other groups (p<0.002).
In this group, 84.3±24.1% of combinations reached the daily limit of 5 g, which was higher than in the other groups.Conclusion: This study shows that milk and dairy products, especially ayran and salty cheese, significantly contribute to daily salt intake, highlighting the need for salt reduction strategies for these products.