Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States (2010) / Chapter Skim
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9 Recommended Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake and to Monitor Their Effectiveness
9 Recommended Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake and to Monitor Their Effectiveness
Pages 285-296
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From page 285... ...
Consumers must be assisted in playing a role to reduce their sodium intake, but their ability to meaningfully reduce it will be limited without changes in the food supply. Further, these primary strategies are based on the recognition that a significant amount of sodium in the American diet is contributed by foods eaten in restaurants and other foodservice operations, thereby requiring a combined effort focused not only on the processed foods purchased by consumers, but also on foods offered to consumers by restaurant/foodservice operators.
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From page 286... ...
The available array of options for implementation should be considered; special labeling/disclosure statements or informational labeling regarding sodium content, if appropriate, should be incorporated into the implementation process. Strategy 1.2 FDA should likewise extend its stepwise application of the GRAS modification, adjusted as necessary, to encompass salt added to menu items offered by restaurant/foodservice operations that are suf ficiently standardized so as to allow practical implementation.
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From page 287... ...
Strategy 1.3 FDA should revisit the GRAS status of other sodium containing compounds as well as any food additive provisions for such compounds and make adjustments as appropriate, consistent with changes for salt in processed foods and restaurant/foodservice menu items. Given that sodium can be added to foods in ways other than by the addition of salt, it is important for FDA to consider these other sources of sodium, take into account their approved conditions of use and function in food, integrate their presence in the food supply into the considerations for modifying the GRAS status of salt, and adjust as necessary the GRAS or food additive provisions for these sodium-containing compounds.
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From page 288... ...
The committee has identified strategies useful to supporting and enhancing the effort to reduce the sodium content of the food supply through modification of the GRAS status of salt. These strategies are directed to a range of stakeholders.
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From page 289... ...
Strategy 3.2 FDA should extend provisions for sodium content and health claims to restaurant/foodservice menu items and adjust the pro visions as needed for use within each sector. The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act established a framework for providing information about the nutrient content of packaged foods, but its provisions for nutrient-related food label claims were not specifically limited to packaged foods.
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From page 290... ...
Currently, U.S. law1 exempts products intended for restaurant/foodservice operations from bearing nutrition labeling.
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From page 291... ...
Since few attempts have been made to reduce sodium in restaurant/foodservice menu items, restaurant/foodservice leaders working in public-private partnership should introduce pilot programs designed to assist operators in reducing the sodium content of menu items, which, in turn, could be widely implemented when shown to be effective. Such programs may include training of both existing and new restaurant/foodservice personnel, support for menu and recipe reformulation, programs to encourage social responsibility, the introduction of voluntary standards, and, as appropriate, local regulations for salt use or sodium labeling.
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From page 292... ...
While this campaign should be targeted to consumers, it is expected to be complementary to the activities to reduce sodium in the food supply and should include a focus to enlist consumer support for government and industry activities to reduce the sodium content of foods. Vesting specific authority and accountability for such activities at a high level within the federal government would result in the national leadership needed to reduce sodium intake and also foster linkage to health messages related to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
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From page 293... ...
This activity should be done in close collaboration with FDA so that the overall time line for reducing sodium intake takes into account the regulatory approach and its related time line for reducing sodium in the food supply. Strategy 4.2 Government agencies, public health and consumer orga nizations, health professionals, the food industry, and public-private partnerships should continue or expand efforts to support consumers in making behavior changes to reduce sodium intake in a manner con sistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
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From page 294... ...
The importance of immediately beginning activities to determine the baseline levels of sodium intake through measurements of nationally representative 24-hour urine collections, to track the sodium content of processed foods and menu items through the creation of relevant databases, and to monitor changes in salt taste preference cannot be overemphasized. Current monitoring mechanisms are inadequate to track the progress of the recommended strategies and are not sufficient to satisfactorily elucidate the nature of the problem.
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From page 295... ...
Continuous and systematic market basket and labeling studies of the food supply that incorporate approaches relevant to sodium are important and efficient components of monitoring sodium content and the related labeling of foods. Strategy 5.6 USDA should enhance the quality and comprehensiveness of sodium content information in its tables of food composition.
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From page 296... ...
Current databases should be enhanced to more completely assess and track the sodium content of products in the food supply, including processed foods and restaurant or foodservice menu items; they should also be updated with sufficient frequency to allow monitoring and assessment of the stepwise process.
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