Jonathan Wilhoite Blog: Guidelines To Lower Recommended Salt Levels In Food

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Guidelines To Lower Recommended Salt Levels In Food

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The new guidelines released by the Food and Drug Administration enabled the recommended salt levels in food that meant a reduction in the volume of use in food for consumption covering more than 10 categories.

Recommended salt levels in food to cut down more than 1000 mg per day

The FDA set goals for periods of two and ten years. To which food manufacturing companies have already collectively agreed to come up with implementing policies geared towards the initial two-year goals and may come up with final agreements soon.

The guidelines are geared towards cutting down more than 1000 milligrams of sodium from the average American diet, for which the current standard has been pegged at 2,300 milligrams per day, however, studies show that most Americans consume more than half of the recommended daily levels.

A lot of the sodium in diet comes from processed and prepared foods, according to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell.

“Most folks don’t actually know that you are getting it, whether it is your bread, salad dressing or when you are out at a restaurant, you are getting quite a bit then,” Burwell said.

More than 100 categories

The new guidelines cover foods in some 150 categories that outlines the new target reduction of sodium used in foods like bacon, fries, pasta sauces, soups and salads with dressings and toppings. Like for baked breakfast pastries and products, the reduction is pegged at 65 percent and frozen soups by 42 percent over a period of 10 years.

“What we are doing is creating a situation where the consumer is in control,” Burwell said. “If that consumer wants to add more sodium, they are going to be able to do it. What the consumer can’t do now is take it out of the product and have real knowledge about it.”

In a move linked to the new guidelines, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a cause-oriented non-government organization, that earlier sued the federal government after it failed to act on a petition seeking to regulate sodium content in manufactured foods, issued a statement that they are happy with the decision.

“Americans need to reduce their sodium intake to reduce their risk of heart attack or stroke,” said CSPI president Michael F. Jacobson. “If companies achieved the FDA’s proposed targets, it would have a huge benefit for the public’s health. If companies don’t achieve these voluntary targets, it would be clear that mandatory limits will be necessary to reach safe sodium levels.”

Although not all quarters welcome the move, proponents of this move suggest that Americans may need to also be more wary of their sodium consumption habits in order to avoid health complications and problems linked to high sodium consumption even with the current guidelines that recommended salt levels in food.

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