Sodium Reduction

Government Wants to Marginalize Flavor, for What Benefit?

There will always be a balancing act between regulation, nutrition and consumers right to choose and taste. Even though the dust has not settled on the menu labeling and calorie discussion, the next fight has already begun and this time they are coming after your taste buds.

Last month the Food and Drug Administration and Food Safety Inspection Service, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and United States Department of Agricultures’ Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP), sponsored a public meeting on reducing sodium consumption. The goal was to provide interested persons an opportunity to discuss the topics raised in the September 15, 2011 Federal Register Notice.

The meeting, attended by representatives from the food industry, food scientists, researchers, public health workers, and government officials, was geared to inform possible and likely future sodium action by the agencies. To that end throughout the meeting, the sponsoring agencies provided multiple opportunities for individuals to actively express their views by making presentations and participating in breakout sessions. The National Restaurant Association (NRA) provided remarks during the open session.

The agencies did recognize ongoing efforts by some members of the restaurant and packaged food industries to reduce sodium and made it clear it appreciates the complexities of reducing sodium in foods such as food safety implications.

Emphasis was put on their desire to better understand the issues and build collaborative public/private partnerships to address sodium reduction. The FDA committed to sodium reduction if government, industry, and consumers can work together to achieve it. FDA suggested that sodium reduction should be approached through a long-term and multifaceted approach and that FDA is working to do technical homework on what reduction categories and targets would look like.

The federal government’s recommended daily allowance for sodium intake is 2,300 mg for the general population and 1,500 mg for high-risk populations -- anyone older than 50, African Americans, and anyone who has hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. Each recommendation covers about half of the U.S. population.

School lunch and breakfast standards now include sodium reduction targets, with interim goals, which were recommended by the IOM Building Blocks report. FDA anticipates looking at sodium reduction while drafting the competitive foods standards proposed rule, due out in “early spring,” as well. Finally, it was stated, the aim of any sodium reduction program is not aimed at putting people out of business, but we all have a role to play to change Americans taste buds.

The American Heart Association’s (AHA) 2020 impact goals – to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent – include a population-wide reduction of sodium consumption to less than 1,500 mg daily as one of the ways the association will measure the nation’s cardiovascular health. The AHA is part of the National Salt Reduction Initiative, which is working with the food industry to reduce sodium content in packaged and restaurant food.

So where does Oregon weigh-in on this issue? Last month the Chronic Disease Prevention Group within the Oregon Health Authority held a Sodium Symposium. The roundtable discussion was made up of industry representatives (including ORLA) and health officials. The main target appeared to be baked goods, specifically bread.

Although the health advocates harped on only 11 percent of salt in the diets coming from salt shakers or home cooking, and nearly 80 percent being added to foods in restaurants or by manufacturers, bread was one specific food item that kept coming up.

Goody Man, out of Tualatin, was asked to reduce the sodium content in their 2 oz. Wheat Plus Fiber rolls in order to serve them at Portland Public Schools (PPS). The 10 percent reduction for PPS went into effect last month taking the 190 mg sodium to 170 mg. Loaves and Fishes is also serving these rolls to 2,640 seniors who receive Meals on Wheels.

Those representing the industry made a case for why regulation is unnecessary since so many companies are already working on voluntarily reducing salt. They have become part of the so-called National Salt Reduction Initiative, which encompasses 15 cities, including New York, Houston, Minneapolis and Cambridge, Mass., and other state and national organizations. In addition, if the discussion is going to take place, suppliers will also need to be at the table. The objective at this point seems to be only geared at getting Oregon bakeries to voluntarily reduce salt in the baked goods, however, this is a movement that has some national momentum and we’ll need to watch it carefully.

What’s not being discussed are the benefits of salt. Beside making food delicious, it’s believed there are more than 14,000 uses for salt, and our grandmothers were probably familiar with most of them. Many of these salt uses are still valid today and can be much cheaper and more environmentally-friendly than more sophisticated products. Salt is used to preserve and keep food and plays a big part in food safety. There is insufficient evidence that, for the general population, reducing dietary sodium intake, or other antioxidants results in improved health outcomes. All we can be sure of is this conversation is just getting started and the restaurant industry will want a seat at the table. | KARA RUECKER