FDA may limit salt in processed foods

Salt and sodium restrictions in processed foods may save lives by avoiding high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease and kidney failure.

By: Steven Chu
Nov 30, 2007, 10:38 AM EST

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held its first public hearing on limiting the quantity of salt in processed food in College Park, Maryland.

The non profit nutrition watchdog, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and other public health bodies and pressure groups urged the FDA to make restrictions on the amount of salt and sodium in processed foods, arguing that to do so would save thousands of lives every year and help Americans avoid high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease and kidney failure.

The CSPI has been lobbying the FDA on the significant issue for nearly 30 years. It has filed petitions and even brought lawsuits against the agency, the second of which was filed in 2005, where it accused the FDA of not making good on its promises to press food companies to reduce salt content in foods.

Both the CSPI, the AMA and other advocates of public health urged the FDA to eventually take immediate action to reduce the excessive amount of salt in food. They want the FDA to set strict limits on how much salt manufacturers are officially allowed to put in processed food and to educate the immediate public about the advantages of a low sodium diet.

The AMA estimate that most Americans consume two to three times the amount of sodium that is considered healthy, with an estimated 75 to 80 per cent of it coming from processed and restaurant food.

Under the current system, the FDA approves labelling such as "low sodium" to inform the public about salt.

The health groups want the FDA to strengthen labelling, and change salt's current status as "generally recognized as safe", so it is controlled as a food additive. The AMA for example wants labelling to appear at the front of packaging, and for the FDA to impose stricter limits on claims about "low sodium" content. More incentives are needed to make manufacturers respond said the AMA.