This electric spoon from Japan promises to reduce your salt intake

The spoon reinvented: The Electric Salt spoon, developed by Japanese company Kirin, is designed to make food taste saltier than it actually is, thereby cutting the health risks associated with high salt intake. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa

You might not have thought that the spoon needed reinventing. But innovators in Japan say otherwise and are convinced that a more high-tech spoon can help us eat more healthily.

A new kind of spoon from Japanese company Kirin uses a light electronic current to make food taste saltier than it actually is, thereby letting us ingest less salt and avoid the associated health risks.