Lower Sodium Processed Meat—Is It Possible?
CDC has identified cold cuts and cured meats as well as fresh and processed poultry as 2 of the top 10 sources of sodium in the American diet, responsible for 44% of U.S. sodium intake. CDC estimates that a 25% reduction in sodium for the top 10 sources could help prevent an estimated 28,000 deaths annually, and manufacturers of processed meat are working to develop alternatives. Although replicating the flavor, texture, and shelf life benefits that sodium provides is challenging, manufacturers are working to identify substitute ingredients and new processing technologies to achieve sodium reduction. – Food Product Design
New Sodium Regulations Could Drive Manufacturers to Make Changes
Expected industry regulations on sodium may drive significant sodium reduction, replacing more fragmented current trends, according to Charles Purcell, technical development specialist at ingredient supplier Univar. Although Purcell said that some companies have chosen not to do anything to reduce sodium and others have not followed through on pledges to cut sodium, he noted that the new regulations designed to reduce sodium in school lunches are the most likely to encourage more widespread efforts. – FoodNavigator-USA.com
Big Food Awaits New Rules in FDA Pipeline
Americans can expect three significant changes to occur in the wake of a decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban trans fats from the American food supply: (1) a gradual reduction of added sodium in the food supply, (2) more comprehensive menu labeling, and (3) updates to Nutrition Facts panels. Although it is not clear what approach the FDA will take toward sodium reduction, some experts say that the trans fats ban could pave the way for the agency to use a similar approach for sodium. But most experts caution that sodium is a much more complex issue than eliminating trans fats because a safe and even necessary level of dietary sodium clearly exists. – Politico
Menu Site Makes It Easy to Compare Restaurant Nutritional Information
New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has developed a new tool, calledMenuStat, for those interested in detailed information about restaurant foods. MenuStat aggregates information about the sodium, calories, fat, and other nutritional information in more than 35,000 menu items at major chain restaurants. The tool also allows users to compare items from different restaurants and see how they have changed, nutritionally, over time. – NPR
Sodium Reduction Can Save More Lives than Quitting Smoking
Consuming less salt can save more lives than quitting smoking, according to research presented at the recent MeetEat conference in Oslo, Norway. Senior researcher Ulla Toft calculated that Denmark would have 400,000 fewer cases of elevated blood pressure and at least 1,000 fewer deaths, saving hundreds of millions of dollars each year, if average daily salt consumption per capita were reduced by 3 grams. Toft’s research shows that a 15% cut in salt intake could prevent three times as many deaths from cardiovascular disease as a 20% cut in smoking would in Denmark. – ScienceNordic
Community Education and Subsidizing Salt Alternatives Can Cut Sodium Intake
Community education and price strategies targeting sodium intake in Chinese villages reduced daily sodium intake and increased daily potassium intake, according to findings presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2013. Compared with villagers not involved in the intervention, individuals who participated in community health education reduced daily sodium intake by 13 millimoles (about 300 milligrams) and increased daily potassium intake by 7 millimoles (about 270 milligrams). Similar changes were seen among villagers who also had access to salt substitutes at a reduced price. – MedPage Today
U.K. Government Scraps Plans for Tougher Salt Reduction Targets for Many Products The U.K. Department of Health has cancelled plans for more restrictive sodium reduction targets for several products, accepting industry claims of technical barriers and the risks of unacceptable changes in taste. In January 2013, the agency postponed an overhaul of sodium reduction targets until technical issues had been investigated; after reviewing these issues, the agency decided to leave targets unchanged—or even relax them in some cases. For example, the Department of Health has proposed not changing the maximum sodium levels for bacon and ham and relaxing the targets for sausage from 2012 levels. – The Grocer