ConAgra Says Salt Reduction Program Well on Track

07/12/07 ConAgra Foods, Inc. has announced that its companywide initiative to reduce sodium in its products has removed about 2.8 million pounds of salt from Americans’ diets annually. The reductions in sodium can be found in many of ConAgra Foods’ top-selling products, including family favorites such as Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Kid Cuisine, Marie Callender’s and Orville Redenbacher’s.

“Over the past several years, we have focused our efforts on improving the nutritional profile of many of our foods, including successfully reducing sodium content in our top-selling products. This focus enabled us to reduce sodium by 15 percent to 20 percent in many products without compromising the great taste of the product,” said Al Bolles, Ph.D., executive vice president, Research, Quality & Innovation. “To date, we’ve removed millions of pounds of salt from our products. With continued focus and investment, we are confident that we will remove even more salt and provide consumers with more healthful food choices.”

For 20 years, ConAgra Foods has been an industry leader when it comes to providing consumers with lower sodium options. Its line of Healthy Choice products provides consumers with more than 150 options, all which can help consumers control and limit the amount of sodium in their diets. In developing and marketing Healthy Choice products, ConAgra Foods must adhere to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s nutrition standards, including sodium limits, for what defines a “healthy” product while also meeting consumers’ exacting standards for taste, quality and convenience.

ConAgra Foods also is investing in new technologies that allow the company to reduce sodium even further. One of the company’s first successes in developing new sodium technologies is evident in Orville Redenbacher’s SmartPop! microwave popcorn, which has the same great taste consumers prefer, but with less sodium.

Bolles explained, “ConAgra Foods has developed a proprietary sodium technology that has made it possible to reduce sodium by 30 percent in Orville Redenbacher’s SmartPop! microwave popcorn while maintaining the delicious gourmet taste consumers love. We are now refining that breakthrough ingredient and developing others so that we can continue to meet consumer demand for great-tasting, lower sodium foods.”