Lobby group urges reduction in salt

The CSPI says that too much salt in the diet is a major contributor to high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes, and almost all Americans consume far much more sodium than is recommended.

According to leading sodium researchers, halving the salt content in processed and restaurant foods would save 150,000 lives a year in the US, the CSPI said in a statement.

The Center is warning consumers that meat products that appear similar on the outside may contains significantly different sodium levels.

“Manufacturers of high-sodium products could reduce salt while still marketing safe, tasty and competitive products,” CSPI said in its statement.

The CSPI says the average daily intake of sodium is around 3,400 milligrams, compared with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) “Daily Value” of 2,400 milligrams and the Department of Health and Human Services’ recommendation of 1,500 milligrams for middle-aged and older adults, the statement said.

“The USDA already has extensive regulations governing the makeup of processed meat and poultry products, which set nutritional standards such as limits on fat content for some products, and limits on various preservatives or additives in others,” said CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson. “The agency should set similar reasonable limits for sodium chloride, which, at the levels consumed, might just be the single most dangerous ingredient in the food supply.”