The British Meat Processors Association (BPMA) plans to set up a research project on salt replacement technology in pastry-based meat products that it hopes will attract funding from the government's LINK scheme.

Technical issues meant it was unlikely that the meat industry would be able to meet Food Standards Agency (FSA) targets for pork pies of a maximum of 500mg of sodium per 100g of product by 2010, said the BMPA's deputy director Maurice McCartney.

"This means we are going to have to find technological solutions," said McCartney. "We understand that money may be available from the LINK scheme at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for innovative and industrially-relevant research."

The FSA will publish its official guidance on maximum salt levels in different food products at the end of February after months of heated debate with the industry.

While most sectors claim that they can meet or beat draft FSA salt targets, there are pockets of resistance in the trade over certain specialist products like stilton and cured meats, plus more mainstream products such as butter.

However, the FSA has indicated that it might fund research into the technical limitations of reducing salt in some specialist cheeses.

The FSA is also funding projects by lobby group Consensus Action on Salt and Health to reduce salt intake by African-Caribbean people, who are particularly sensitive to the effects of salt.