Scottish grower and supplier Scotherbs is reminding consumers that herbs contain no salt, fat or added flavourings during the tenth National Salt Awareness week.

Fresh herbs are still a growing market commodity and underused by much of the population and perhaps underrated too, according to Scotherbs.

Managing director of Scotherbs, Fiona Lamotte, said: “When you think of the terrible ailments that can be attributed to much salt such as high blood pressure, osteoporosis and stomach cancer it seems silly that the small change of using herbs to flavour food could make a massive difference to health.

“Many herbs have strong antioxidant properties and are packed with vitamins so by switching salt for herbs, not only do you benefit from lower salt consumption, you also benefit from added nutrients for example, parsley is an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K plus iron and folate.

“The current credit crunch when people are looking to save money by eating at home and preparing their own foods from scratch, is a great time to experiment with herbs. The trend for home cooking at the moment is towards traditional, one-pot foods which will fill the family at a minimal cost such as soups, stews, casseroles and pies.

"These are all meals that many people would pack full of salt but which really lend themselves to fresh herbs. The problem is that after years of convenience foods such as ready meals and tins, people just don’t know what to do with herbs anymore and that really is a shame. I would advise people that if they are going to go for prepared foods, to check the salt content before purchasing and choose those containing fresh herbs as flavouring.”

Scotherbs has also been working with young people to discuss the benefits of fresh herbs and will be producing their award-winning primary school project pack children as young as 12 to teach children as young as nursery age about the origin, ecology and health benefits of fresh herbs.

“We had twenty local schools take part in the project last year and feedback was excellent. Children were able to grow their own herbs, study their growth and the opportunities for end usage. This year we have had Tesco come on board as a project partner and we hope to recruit 100 Scottish primary schools to take part, rolling the project out nationwide in 2010,” said Lamotte.

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