The government is planning to require all public schools specify the amount of salt in school meals starting next year in order to reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes among students.

The Education Ministry announced Sunday that it would regulate all school meals and monitor the amount of salt they contain, as part of efforts to reduce students’ salt consumption by more than 20 percent.

The current average sodium intake from a school lunch is 928 milligrams ― equivalent to about 2.35 grams of salt ― but the ministry is looking to cut it to less than 740 milligrams by 2017.

For this, the ministry will develop a website that will allow individuals to check how much sodium they consume through school meals every day.

It will also conduct on-site inspections at schools on a regular basis, and will also launch a nationwide campaign to encourage students to cut their sodium intake, the ministry said.

Koreans consumed an average of 4.878 grams of sodium per day in 2010, more than twice the sodium intake recommended by the World Health Organization.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)