Should the FDA crack down on salt?
From local health departments to big-city governments, everyone's talking about reducing Americans' love affair with salt. Today, the influential Institute of Medicine says too much salt consumption is a threat to public health and suggests in a new report that the Food and Drug Administration regulate the mineral.
The FDA told The Washington Post it plans to do just that with a campaign to reduce the amount of salt in processed foods.
But the FDA backed off the claims in The Post, which quotes anonymous sources. In a statement issued this afternoon, the FDA says it doesn't have plans to do so at the moment. Instead, the agency says it plans to review the IOM report, which recommends that the FDA set new standards for how much salt restaurants, food manufacturers and food service companies can add to food.
Either way, the IOM report is clear about what the FDA should do. Recommended daily sodium intake is 2,300 milligrams -- or about a teaspoon. But Americans consume about a teaspoon and a half, or 3,400 milligrams, according to the report written by a panel of health experts. They suggest that intake be ratcheted down to 1,500 milligrams. People over 50 need even less, they said.
The goal isn't to ban salt, the panel says. Rather, the idea is to limit the harmful effects of consuming too much. Excessive salt intake increases the risks of hypertension, heart disease and stroke.
Regulation is needed because public education campaigns don't work and the food industry hasn't done enough to cut back on sodium, the report states.
Certainly some manufacturers have started to limit sodium in their products. Here's a piece from the WSJ on recent efforts.
The folks at the Salt Institute, which represents salt producers, says science doesn't back up the recommendations.
"Should the federal government regulate consumption of very low levels of salt, they are effectively compelling the entire population take part in the largest clinical trial ever carried out, without their knowledge or consent," said Lori Roman, president of the Salt Institute, told CNN.
What do you think?
Categories: Cardiovascular Health, Diet and exercise
Comments
I think the Government should try to limit their intake of Pork and let us worry about our own salt intake.
Posted by: Tom | April 20, 2010 4:04 PM
Reading stories like these causes me more hypertension than any condiment.
Posted by: Tom | April 20, 2010 5:47 PM
Excess sodium greatly increases the chance of developing hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. Research shows most Americans consume two to three times the amount of sodium that is healthy, with about three quarters or it coming from processed and restaurant foods. With stats like that it’s no wonder cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of death in the U.S. The AMA has urged a reduction in the amount of sodium in processed foods since 2006. Lowering the amount of sodium in processed foods is an important step toward a healthier America.
Posted by: AmericanMedicalAssociation | April 21, 2010 1:59 PM
SERIOUSLY: The last time I checked, no one was holding me at gunpoint, forcing me to buy salty processed foods or forcing me to eat out and choose onion rings rather than a side salad. Are we going to stop holding individuals to account for their own free choice behaviors entirely? It's getting insane.
Healthy eating has gained momentum over the last couple of decades and transmformation is happening every day WITHOUT regulation. Just take a look around. It will happen for salt, too.
Posted by: PJC | April 21, 2010 7:34 PM
Slippery Slope or Briny Deep?
What next? Will they start to control the pH of vinegar in our pickles? Or the Scoville level in our pepper?
There a lot of localities wanting to have food pavers reduce sugar so I guess a national level of the sweet stuff will be set for cookies, cakes, jams, jellies, and ice cream.
I want to know when McDonalds has to disclose what is in their Secret Sauce. Will Kentucky Fried Chicken's original recipe need to reveal those 11 herbs and spices?
After that comes a regulation on number of beans and amount of ham in soup. How about the quantity of peas and squash in vegetable soup. They just got to set the percentage by weight of clams in chowder.
I guess they can really protect the public when they get around to setting the standard hole size for waffles and doughnuts.
Posted by: Patman | April 21, 2010 10:31 PM