FDA pushes for lower sodium in packaged food as health groups demand stronger measures

16 Aug 2024 --- The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced new goals to further reduce sodium levels in commercially packaged and processed foods by 20% in the second phase of its voluntary sodium reduction targets. Despite acknowledging the progress made in the program’s first phase, health advocacy groups maintain that the targets could have been “more ambitious.” 

The federal agency revealed the first set of targets in 2021, before which average consumer sodium intake was approximately 3,400 mg per day. The Dietary Guidelines for US citizens recommend 2,300 mg daily for individuals aged 14 and above.

The FDA’s preliminary data from 2022 indicates that 40% of its initial phase one goals, which encouraged key F&B players in the US to reduce salt content in various food categories, are close to or already fulfilled.

Improving nutrition in food supply

If adopted, the updated guidelines announced this week could decrease individual sodium intake to about 2,750 mg daily.

“Reducing sodium in the food supply has the potential to be one of the most important public health initiatives in a generation. The early successes we’re seeing with sodium level reduction in certain foods is encouraging and indicative of the impact we believe our overall nutrition approach can have on the well-being of society,” says FDA deputy commissioner for Human Foods, Jim Jones.

Jones adds that the US authorities are launching additional initiatives to promote a more equitable sense of health and well-being.

“In addition to our sodium reduction efforts, the FDA is also actively working on a forthcoming final rule updating the definition of the claim ‘healthy,’ a proposed rule for front-of-package nutrition labeling and exploring ways to reduce added sugars consumption.”

“Modest progress”

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a non-profit focused on health and policy, says the FDA’s phase one figures from 2022 represent “modest progress” over the 2010 baseline.

If adopted, the updated guidelines announced this week could decrease individual sodium intake to about 2,750 mg daily.“The targets proposed by the FDA are a definite step in the right direction, but could have been more ambitious,” says CSPI president Dr. Peter G. Lurie.

CSPI says the agency’s data suggests more food categories (52%) showed decreases in sales-weighted mean sodium content than increases (34%), even as the “magnitude remains unclear.”

The advocacy group observes that most sodium reduction occurs in packaged foods rather than restaurants, where the rise in the sodium content of half of the food categories outweighs the decreased fraction.

Crackdown on sodium consumption

FDA research shows that more than 70% of the US population’s salt consumption comes from sodium added during the food manufacturing and preparation stage in commercial settings.

The country is plagued by several diet-related diseases, with sodium running high in foods such as chips, burgers, canned soups, frozen meals and cured and canned meats and vegetables.

Since marginalized communities, such as racial and ethnic minorities, record higher blood pressure levels compared to the whole average, cracking down on sodium could help improve overall health while addressing socio-economic differences.

“The FDA’s sodium reduction and other nutrition initiatives are central to a broader, whole-of-government approach to help reduce the burden of diet-related chronic diseases and advance health equity,” adds Jones.

However, CSPI’s Lurie warns of the shortcomings of working in silos.

“Success will only be achieved if we go beyond targets to enact a comprehensive strategy that involves outreach to industry, especially the restaurant industry, as well as monitoring the industry’s progress and reporting in detail to the public which food companies and restaurants are making progress with their products, and which remain the worst offenders.”

The FDA notes that the phase two voluntary sodium reduction targets build on achievable reductions in different foods, consumer acceptance and food safety regulations, which align with the 2030 goal of mitigating diet-related diseases.

It aims to issue regular assessments of sodium levels in food categories in the US every three years.

By Anvisha Manral