General Mills Files Patent to Cut Salt and Fat in Dough
General Mills has filed a patent for salt-flavored fat particles that enable cost-effective sodium reduction and fat replacement in baked dough products. Growing demand from consumers, regulators, and food companies to reduce sodium content in food prompted the development, the company said in its international patent filing. The new technology involves fat particles that incorporate salt flavoring and can be used in any baked dough product. The salt in the new product, which could be used in combination with other salt reduction methods, is distributed throughout the product when the fat particles melt during baking. The product may allow overall salt flavoring to be reduced by about half. – Bakery and Snacks
How Restaurants Can Reduce Salt in Your Food
In this article, CDC Director Tom Frieden highlights a recently published CDC report that offers strategies to reduce sodium in restaurant food, titled “From Menu to Mouth: Opportunities for Sodium Reduction in Restaurants.” Recommendations to restaurants include providing nutritional information at the point of purchase, creating group purchasing organizations to save on lower sodium ingredients in bulk, and making dietitians available through health departments to assist restaurants with nutrition support. – CNN
Tracking Fat, Salt, and Sugar: Informed Dining Program Rolls Out at Canadian Restaurants
Canadians in several provinces may soon be able to get information on how much sodium, fat, and sugar is in the food they order at major restaurants, including McDonald’s, Tim Hortons, and Dairy Queen. The voluntary Informed Dining program, which so far 17 companies are implementing in outlets across the country, lists the calorie count and up to 13 core nutrients, including sodium, for each menu item. Restaurants can put the nutritional information in a standard format on the menu, on a website, or in a brochure. Research carried out in 2013 showed that 92% of Canadian adults reported believing that it is important to know the nutrition breakdown of the foods they eat; 90% reported feeling like they might be missing pertinent information if restaurants only listed calories. – CTV News
Salt Reduction Plan “Hampered” by Food Service Sector
The U.K. Department of Health has criticized the food service industry for failing to respond to its calls for voluntary action to reduce sodium levels. The Department plans to launch a list of “essential targets” for sodium reduction that all food service companies would be expected to reach, but the plan has been hindered by a lack of response from these companies, especially caterers. – The Grocer