Currently, the average sodium intake in the United States is around 3,400 mg a day and the FDA wants it reduced to 2.300 mg a day over the next ten years, which it says is the advice offered by health professionals. To most of us, that number doesn’t mean much (to give you an idea, that’s about as much sodium as found in a teaspoon and a half of table salt).
Advertisement
Americans’ average salt intake is approximately 3400 mg/day, which is almost 50% more than what experts recommend. “1 in 3 adults has high blood pressure and high blood pressure contributes to stroke, heart disease and congestive heart failure which are the leading causes of death in the USA”, said Dr. Barry Effron, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, UH Case Medical Center.
The draft guidance, which is composed of two-year short term and 10-year long term goals, also aims to add into various interventions of food manufacturers and food industry operators to decrease salt in food.
The FDA’s recommendations divided common processed foods into 150 categories – ranging from vegetable juice to butter to feta cheese – and created sodium targets for each category. Additionally, NACS has revealed that, so far, 27 food manufacturers, restaurants and grocers have already committed to making voluntary changes to reduce sodium levels in their products.
Excess consumption of sodium is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Susan Mayne, director of the agency’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said officials want to talk to industry before deciding apt targets.
Scientific evidence shows that the more salt individuals consume, the higher their blood pressure becomes.
“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”, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said in a statement Wednesday.
Saying the “deck is stacked” against most people trying to cut down on salt, the Food and Drug Administration asked food companies to cut down how much salt they put in food.
The agency’s long-awaited proposal establishes salt-reduction targets for a broad range of foods, from baked goods to soups, officials said.
The draft guidance is available for public comment.
“The 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”.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents food and beverage companies in the USA, said it welcomed talking to the FDA over meeting the targets.
Advertisement
“We hope that industry will work cooperatively with the FDA and health experts to achieve the proposed reductions, which would benefit the health of all Americans”, said CSPI president Michael F. Jacobson. The draft targets factor in data on consumer preferences, as well as current industry efforts to reduce sodium.
