Nedmag on sodium reduction: How magnesium blends support healthier F&B formulations

The F&B industry is moving beyond the “less salt” strategy to mineral-optimized formulations for sodium reduction, with magnesium often at the center of this movement. Incorporating magnesium alongside sodium and potassium can help manufacturers maintain flavor and functionality while cutting sodium across dairy, bakery, plant-based, and hybrid foods.

With nearly one‑third of consumers globally actively limiting sodium intake, according to Innova Market Insights, the pressure on manufacturers to deliver lower-sodium products is rising. Salt and sodium are also on the list of ingredients that consumers are keen to cut alongside sugar and saturated fat, as highlighted in the market researcher’s Global Ingredient Trends 2026.

Meanwhile, regulatory and public health initiatives are driving sodium reduction. The WHO has set a global target to reduce population sodium intake by 30% by 2030, and monitors national sodium reduction policy implementation through its Sodium Country Score Card. 

Regionally, the US FDA issues voluntary sodium reduction goals for processed foods, while the EU’s common salt reduction framework aims for at least a 16% reduction over four years relative to baseline levels.

However, reducing sodium presents technical obstacles, as salt’s multi-functional role in products extends beyond its salty flavor, leading to formulation challenges. Additionally, scientists say replacing salt with ingredients such as potassium chloride can introduce bitter or metallic off-flavors at higher concentrations, reducing consumer appeal.

Dutch firm Nedmag is addressing the salt reduction challenge by developing magnesium-based mineral blends as one-to-one salt replacements that allow manufacturers to reduce sodium by up to 30% in food products, while retaining salt’s familiar taste profile. Its Novasal Blend solution is said to reduce sodium by up to 40% in Dutch biscuit speculaas, while retaining its flavor.

Food Ingredients First speaks with Roelof de Weerd, commercial director at Nedmag, about why sodium reduction has been hard to achieve for manufacturers, its associated misconceptions, and how magnesium‑based blends can help companies cut salt in reduced-sodium foods without impacting consumer acceptance.

Why has sodium reduction remained such a challenge for the food industry despite years of pressure from health authorities?

De Weerd: One of the biggest reasons is that sodium reduction has rarely been strongly enforced through legislation. In many countries, reformulation remains largely voluntary, meaning manufacturers often only act when retail requirements, Nutri Score targets, or public pressure become unavoidable. As a result, sodium reduction has frequently been postponed or approached only when absolutely necessary.

At the same time, the complexity of sodium reduction has historically been underestimated. Salt is not just an ingredient that adds flavor but also a highly functional component influencing texture, preservation, water binding, fermentation, process stability, and shelf life. In many food applications, reducing sodium does not simply mean “turning down the saltiness,” but also impacts product structure, processability, and consumer acceptance.

This is particularly visible in bakery, dairy, meat, and plant-based applications where sodium reduction can directly affect texture and technological performance.

Roelof de Weerd: Balanced magnesium, sodium, and potassium can reduce sodium while keeping taste and functionality intact.

What is the biggest misconception the food industry still has about sodium reduction?

De Weerd: A major misconception is that sodium reduction is extremely difficult or impossible without compromising taste and texture. In reality, significant sodium reduction is already achievable in many applications with the fitting mineral balance. Another misconception is that sodium reduction simply means removing sodium chloride. Increasingly, the industry is moving toward broader mineral-based reformulation strategies where sodium, potassium, and magnesium work together within the total formulation.

Magnesium-based approaches remain relatively new within the food industry and are still significantly underexplored despite their technological and nutritional potential. There is also still a tendency among some manufacturers of a lack of urgency with regard to sodium reduction, partly because legislation and enforcement remain limited. However, retail-driven health strategies and nutrition scoring systems such as Nutri-Score are rapidly accelerating reformulation efforts.

What are the major limitations in existing sodium-reduction solutions, and how does Novasal Blend address them?

De Weerd: Taste remains the largest challenge in sodium reduction. Many conventional sodium reduction systems rely heavily on potassium chloride, which, at higher dosages, can create metallic or bitter taste perceptions. Cost is another commonly mentioned barrier, although in practice, the additional cost per serving or meal is often extremely small, often only fractions of a cent.

The key difference in Novasal lies in the balanced combination of sodium and magnesium within the overall formulation. Rather than relying on a single replacement mineral, the total mineral balance is optimized to maintain both sensory performance and product functionality.

A strong example is the Dutch Bakkerszout 2.0 initiative, where sodium chloride is partially replaced by magnesium salt as well as potassium salt within bakery applications. This project demonstrated sodium reductions of 43% without compromising taste, texture, or baking performance. It also highlighted the novelty of magnesium as a functional mineral within sodium reduction systems, not only from a nutritional perspective but also regarding dough behavior and process functionality.

The Dutch Bakkerszout 2.0 initiative involves replacing part of the sodium with potassium and magnesium salts, which has now expanded to cheese and salmon.

How close can magnesium-based solutions come to replicating the taste profile of traditional salt?

De Weerd: Magnesium cannot function as a direct one-to-one replacement for sodium chloride because it has fundamentally different chemical and sensory properties. As a standalone ingredient, magnesium has a clearly different taste profile compared to traditional salt.

However, the real strength of magnesium becomes apparent when it is used as part of a balanced mineral system. When sodium, magnesium, and in some cases potassium are carefully balanced within the complete recipe, magnesium can contribute to sodium reduction while maintaining overall taste perception and functionality.

In practical food applications, replacing approximately 30% to 50% of sodium through balanced mineral systems has shown highly promising sensory results. The objective is, therefore, not to replicate sodium chloride using a single ingredient, but to optimize the complete mineral composition within the formulation.

How has Nedmag evaluated the impact of magnesium-based salt reduction on taste and consumer acceptance?

De Weerd: Several professional and commercial taste evaluations have already been conducted on products developed with magnesium salt as a partial replacement of regular salt. The Bakkerszout 2.0 initiative by the Dutch branch organization to lower the sodium in all Dutch bread was evaluated and validated by both professional and commercial taste panels. The same approach has been applied to a wide range of reduced-sodium products, such as cheese and salmon, where sodium was partially replaced with magnesium. These evaluations demonstrated that sodium reduction can be achieved while maintaining consumer-acceptable taste and texture profiles.

Are manufacturers reducing sodium to meet health goals or improving nutrition scores like Nutri-Score?

De Weerd: It is a little bit of both, although retail-driven Nutri-Score optimization is becoming a particularly strong driver in many markets. Retailers are using such nutrition scoring systems as part of their broader health and nutrition strategies, which directly increases pressure on manufacturers to reformulate products. At the same time, public health goals regarding sodium reduction remain highly relevant. In many applications, relatively simple sodium reduction strategies can already significantly improve nutritional profiles and Nutri-Scores.

A good example is vegetable spreads, where reducing sodium content alone can substantially improve the nutritional classification of the product. Without major reformulation complexity, several spreads have already been upgraded from Nutri-Scores B and C to A’s solely by partially replacing sodium with magnesium salt.

Sodium reduction goes beyond simply removing sodium chloride; for products like chips, it requires meaningful reformulation, as reducing salt can significantly affect taste.

Which food category do you think is most overdue for meaningful sodium reduction?

De Weerd: Snack products such as chips remain one of the categories most overdue for meaningful sodium reduction. Although there is movement within the category, many sodium reduction efforts still rely primarily on simply reducing salt levels, which, unfortunately, often comes at the expense of taste. At the same time, effective opportunities to partially replace sodium while maintaining flavor performance and overall consumer acceptance are within reach. 

Another important category is plant-based, hybrid products, and texturized foods. These products often contain relatively high salt levels, partly to compensate for flavor complexity or masking effects. Despite this, there is still relatively limited adoption of more advanced sodium reduction strategies within these categories. Meaningful reformulation requires more than straightforward salt reduction alone.

What do you think sodium reduction will look like in a few years?

De Weerd: Over the next five years, sodium reduction will increasingly evolve from simply “using less salt” toward a broader understanding of mineral optimization within food systems. The industry is gradually recognizing that salt functionality extends far beyond sodium chloride alone and that different minerals can work together to optimize taste, texture, process stability, and nutritional value.

We expect manufacturers to become significantly more advanced in balancing sodium, potassium, magnesium, and other minerals within complete formulations. In many ways, this reflects natural mineral systems such as seawater, which also consists of a broad mineral composition rather than sodium alone.

At the same time, retail requirements and nutrition scoring systems such as Nutri-Score will continue accelerating reformulation efforts. Overall, sodium reduction is evolving from a standalone health objective toward a broader formulation strategy focused on mineral balance, nutritional improvement, and maintaining product performance.