FDA mulls stricter regulation of salt in food
Thu Nov 29, 2007 6:23pm EST

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland (Reuters) - Public health advocates on Thursday
called for tighter restrictions on salt content in food, arguing that
cutting the nutrient's overuse by most Americans could save thousands
of lives annually.

Excessive salt in Americans' diets is a major factor in high blood
pressure and increases risk for heart disease, while most Americans
exceed recommended limits, according to health experts. The Center for
Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) cited these factors in urging
stricter regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at a
public hearing, held on Thursday at the FDA.

Trimming the salt content in processed and restaurant foods by half
could save up to 150,000 lives a year by reducing heart-related
disease, according to the consumer group, whose petition to the FDA
prompted the public hearing.

"I am sure no one would tolerate so many deaths from airline crashes,
so why tolerate it from food?" Dr. Stephen Havas, vice president for
science and public health at the American Medical Association, said.

The CSPI, backed by several public health groups, wants the FDA to
beef up labeling, require manufacturers to cut salt in packaged foods,
and revoke salt's "generally recognized as safe" status, subjecting it
to stricter regulations as a food additive.

The FDA, which has not considered the issue since 1982, now uses
labeling to inform the public about salt, and approves claims such as
"low sodium."

"It is really a good time to be having this meeting," Laura Tarantino,
director of the FDA's food safety office said, citing increased
research and regulatory changes in other countries.

The American Heart Association advises adults to limit daily sodium
intake to less than 2,300 milligrams, or about one teaspoon. The
average American consumes about 3,300 milligrams per day, according to
government data.

The group backs moving nutrient labeling to the front of packaging and
stricter limits for claims like "low sodium." This would give
manufacturers an incentive to cut added salt, it said.

The bulk of sodium in modern diets comes from processed foods like
frozen dinners and condiments. One frozen chicken teriyaki dinner, or
one small can of Bloody Mary mix, contains a full day's worth of
sodium, said Michael Jacobson, executive director of CSPI.

"Clearly, salt should be considered generally recognized as dangerous,
not safe," Jacobson said.

MANDATES

The Grocery Manufacturers Association favors keeping the current
regime, arguing that cutting salt too much turns off consumers because
of bland taste. It also said studies on health risk have not been
rigorous enough.

"Salt has been used safely in foods since antiquity," said Robert
Earl, senior director for nutrition policy at the Grocery
Manufacturers of America, the food industry trade group.

Others said they might support incremental changes. For example, to
get a label for a "reduced sodium" claim now, industry must cut sodium
by 25 percent against a reference food.

If companies could get a claim by trimming sodium by just 10 percent,
that could be an incentive to make gradual reductions, Kathy Wiemer of
the General Mills Inc Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition said.

That also would make it easier on consumers to get used to the taste
of less salt, she added.

Public health advocates, though, said voluntary measures have not
worked for decades, as salt consumption has risen steadily in the
U.S., and with it, heart-related diseases.

"These will continue to be ineffective without mandating lower levels
of sodium in food products," Richard Kahn, chief scientific and
medical officer of The American Diabetes Association said.

Britain adopted an aggressive labeling system including front-of-
package labeling, and it has been successful in moving the industry to
change, several experts said.

For example, several of McDonald's Corp. products in Britain contain
nearly half the amount of sodium as similar products in the United
States, according to Jacobson.

"Americans don't consume large amounts of salt because they request
it, but often do so unknowingly because manufacturers and restaurants
put it in," AMA's Havas said.