Institute pushes FDA to limit sodium in foods
by Christine on April 20th, 2010
filed under Diet, Food, Nutrition, General Information
On Tuesday, April 20, 2010 the government’s Institute of Medicine called for the federal government to regulate how much sodium (salt) is found in processed foods and in restaurants. Currently, sodium is not regulated by the FDA; in fact, companies can put in as much sodium as they want. Sodium falls under the category of spices and additives that are “generally recognized as safe.”
Leading health authorities, such as the 4th edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (1995) recommends 2,400 mg of sodium per day, and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends no more than 1,500mg per day. However, most Americans consume 3,436 mg per day, according to a CDC on study. Another source says that most Americans consume 3,900 mg per day – either way, the levels are way too high.
How high are the sodium levels? Check out how many of your favorite foods have:
- Red Lobster’s Admiral’s Feast: 4,400 mg
- Oliver Garden’s Chicken Parmigiana: 3,380 mg
- McDonald’s Happy Meal with Cheeseburger: 1,040 mg
- Lean Cuisine’s Café Classics, Chicken Marsala, 620 mg per package
- Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, family size, 580 mg per serving
- Lean Cuisine’s Pesto Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta, 550 mg per package
- Campbell’s Select Harvest Healthy Request Chicken and Rice soup: 480 mg per serving
- Nabisco Wheat Thins, original, 230 mg per serving
- Slim Fast, Creamy Milk Chocolate, 220 mg per can
- Kashi TLC Chrewy Honey Almond Flax Granola Bar, 115 mg
Approximately 75% of dietary sodium is added to processed foods, and only 20% is added by people like you and me adding salt at the dining room table.
The consequences of too much sodium can be life-changing for some. Sodium has been recognized to contribute to high blood pressure, hypertension, and strokes.
Today the FDA responded by saying that the government agency is going to establish a group to review options and next steps. We all know what that means; it’ll take years before any steps are taken to regulate the amount of salt intake in processed foods. Plus, with agencies like the Salt Institute lobbying to keep legislation from happening, it looks like we’re on our own to educate ourselves and choose healthy choices.
What do you think about this news? Should the government regulate sodium levels or no? Respond below!
