The guidelines place foods in 150 categories, outlining new target sodium reductions in everything from bacon and fries to pasta sauces, soups and salads with toppings. For instance, breakfast bakery products would have to reduce sodium by 65 percent and frozen soups by 42 percent over 10 years.
According to the HHS, 75 percent of sodium intake comes from processed and prepared foods, not the salt shaker, and 50 percent of every dollar spent on food is consumed outside the home.
“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.”
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, which sued the federal government when it failed to respond to a petition seeking more regulation of salt, applauded today’s move.
From: Government Sets New Recommended Salt Levels for Foods – ABC News
A large worldwide study has found that, contrary to popular thought, low-salt diets may not be beneficial and may actually increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death compared to average salt consumption.
In fact, the study suggests that the only people who need to worry about reducing sodium in their diet are those with hypertension (high blood pressure) and have high salt consumption.
The study, involving more than 130,000 people from 49 countries, was led by investigators of the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences.
They looked specifically at whether the relationship between sodium (salt) intake and death, heart disease and stroke differs in people with high blood pressure compared to those with normal blood pressure.
From: Low-salt diets may not be beneficial for all, study suggests: Salt reduction only important in some people with high blood pressure — ScienceDaily