National Salt Reduction Initiative Unveils Proposed Dietary Targets
The National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI) has called on companies “to reduce the salt levels in 61 categories of packaged food and 25 classes of restaurant food,” issuing a list of proposed targets designed to cut the salt in these foods by 25 percent over five years. Led by the New York City Health Department, this partnership of cities, states and national health organizations apparently solicited input from the food industry in developing the proposed targets. NSRI will also accept additional comments until February 1, “especially from companies that have not yet participated in the target-setting process, as well as consumer organizations and other interested parties.”
“Americans consume roughly twice the recommended limit of salt each day–causing widespread high blood pressure and placing millions at risk of heart attack and stroke–in ways that they cannot control on their own,” stated a January 11, 2010, press release, which noted that “some popular products already meet the [proposed] targets–a clear indication that food companies can substantially lower sodium levels while still offering foods that consumers enjoy.”
Meanwhile, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has issued a statement praising the initiative. According to the group, “Reducing sodium by 25 percent over the next 5 years could also save the federal government billions in direct medical expenditures.” As The Wall Street Journal has reported, however, food makers are already “taking a new tack in their long-running effort to sell products with less salt,” reformulating their products to contain less salt but “not making a big fuss about it on the label.” Instead of cutting salt all at once, companies have apparently learned to “decrease sodium slowly so that customers don’t notice it.” See CSPI Press Release, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times , January 11, 2009.
