An appeals court granted the city permission to begin issuing fines of up to $600 for restaurants not in accordance with the regulation created to help diners limit their daily salt intake.
Advertisement
The new proposed guidelines are voluntary, so companies will not have to follow them. The draft short-term (two-year) and long-term (ten-year) voluntary targets for the industry are meant to help the American public gradually reduce sodium intake to 2,300mg per day, a level recommended by leading experts and the overwhelming body of scientific evidence.
“The average American adult consumes nearly 50 percent more sodium than the recommended limit per day”, writes NYC Health, in the official guidelines for food service establishments.
The draft guidance will include a system for identifying and measuring trends in sodium reduction within the USA food industry.
NACS reported that The Wall Street Journal pointed out that these guidelines come as a part of the broader healthy-eating initiatives that are underway.
The FDA said that many food companies such as General Mills, Mars and Nestle have already reduced use of salt, but overall level of slat in food supply remains too high.
A 40 percent reduction in sodium consumption in the USA could save 500,000 lives and almost $100 billion in health spending, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“We consume probably more than 50 percent more sodium than we really need for our diets”, said Effron.
The FDA states that the science supporting the relationship between sodium reduction and health is clear: when sodium intake increases, blood pressure increases, and high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke – two leading causes of death in the US.
“Many Americans want to reduce sodium in their diets, but that’s hard to do when much of it is in everyday products we buy in stores and restaurants”, says Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell.
Live Science analyzed the food categories to see which packaged foods could see the biggest drop in sodium if the 10-year target goals are met.
The draft guidance is available for public comment. The aim is to reduce the risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and stroke among Americans, according to the FDA. “Today’s announcement is about putting power back in the hands of consumers, so that they can better control how much salt is in the food they eat and improve their health”. Salt raises blood pressure in many (but not all) people, and a third of Americans already have high blood pressure.
Advertisement
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to slash sodium levels in processed and restaurant prepared foods. Each will have different sodium targets, and some products will have more room for reductions than others.
