Himalayan Pink Salt

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Himalayan pink salt is a minimally processed rock salt (halite) mined predominantly from the Khewra Salt Mine in Punjab, Pakistan; it is composed of approximately 95–98% sodium chloride with trace minerals—primarily iron oxide—that impart its characteristic pink hue. It is widely used as a culinary seasoning and, at higher concentrations, as a food preservative.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Like all dietary salt, excessive intake is strongly associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease; the WHO recommends limiting total salt intake to under 5 g per day for all adults, which applies equally to pink salt. Some commercial samples—particularly those of non-Himalayan origin—have been shown to contain trace heavy metals including lead and cadmium, with at least one Peruvian pink salt sample found to exceed the FSANZ maximum contaminant level for lead. Pink salt is not iodized and cannot substitute for iodized salt in populations at risk of iodine deficiency.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) (Australia)	Approved	Permitted for sale under FSANZ food standards. FSANZ sets a maximum contaminant level for lead in salt at 2 mg/kg. A 2020 peer-reviewed study (PMID:33086585) found one commercially available Peruvian pink salt product exceeded this limit, and called for greater regulatory oversight of heavy metal content in specialty salts.source
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Sodium chloride is permitted in food under EU food law. EFSA's dietary reference values set an adequate intake of 2,000 mg sodium/day for adults. Trace heavy metal contaminants in gourmet salts including pink salt are subject to maximum levels under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 on contaminants in foodstuffs. No specific restriction or ban exists for Himalayan pink salt.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Pink salt does not meet the FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 standard for 'Edible Common Salt', which requires a minimum of 96% NaCl on a dry basis. Accordingly, pink salt must be licensed as 'Proprietary food' under the nearest category FC 12.1.1. A gazette notification dated June 25, 2019 (REGD. NO. D.L.-33004/99) clarified that traditional salts including Himalayan pink salt are exempt from mandatory iodization.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Hypertension — Pink salt delivers equivalent sodium to blood pressure as regular salt; WHO and cardiovascular guidelines recommend strict sodium restriction (<2 g sodium/day) in hypertensive individuals regardless of salt type, and pink salt confers no protective advantage.

Heart Disease — Excessive sodium from any salt source including pink salt promotes fluid retention and increased cardiac workload, worsening outcomes in patients with heart failure or other cardiovascular conditions per WHO sodium guidelines.

Kidney Disease — Sodium restriction is critical in chronic kidney disease to limit disease progression, and trace heavy metals (lead, cadmium) found in some pink salt samples may pose additional nephrotoxic risk in patients with impaired renal clearance.

Infants — Infants have immature renal function unsuited to processing added salt; the lack of iodine in non-iodized pink salt also poses a risk to neurodevelopment in a population critically dependent on iodine intake.

— Iodine requirements are elevated during pregnancy, and exclusive use of non-iodized pink salt without alternative iodine sources may contribute to deficiency, with consequences for fetal neurological development.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FSSAI. FSSAI Compliance FAQ – Licensing of Black Salt, Pink Salt, and Himalayan Rock Salt. fssai.gov.in
2FDA. Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States – The Regulatory Framework: A Powerful and Adaptable Tool for Sodium Intake Reduction. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3FDA. Guidance for Industry: Colored Sea Salt. fda.gov
4PubMed. Gourmet Table Salts: The Mineral Composition Showdown, 2023. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5PubMed. India's tryst with salt: Dandi march to low sodium salts, 2023. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6PubMed. An Analysis of the Mineral Composition of Pink Salt Available in Australia, 2020. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Independently researched9 citations