Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - July/August 2022 - 18

1 HR
CE
CBDM APPROVED
NUTRITION C ONNECTION
PROMOTING NEW
FDA GUIDANCE
TO REDUCE
SODIUM INTAKE
BY BRENDA RICHARDSON, MA, RDN, LD, FAND
THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) issued
new guidance on October 13, 2021 for food manufacturers,
restaurants, and foodservice operations to voluntarily
reduce the amount of salt they add to certain foods. The time
frame to reduce sodium is over the next two and a half years,
and the hope is to lower the amount of salt that the average
American consumes each day from 3,400 milligrams to
3,000.
This new guidance supports efforts from the American
Heart Association and the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines
for Americans that recommend no more than 2,300 mg
of sodium per day. In addition, it's suggested that ideally,
individuals with hypertension or prehypertension reduce
daily sodium intake to 1,500 mg for greater blood pressure
reduction. While the FDA goal is still higher than the
recommended daily allowance of 2,300 mg per day, the
FDA estimates this will help lower rates of hypertension, a
leading cause of heart disease and stroke in the U.S.
As healthcare providers, we need to embrace the new
sodium goals and support our clients with healthy options to
improve their health. This article will address the new FDA
guidance, the overall role of sodium, food sources, and ways
to promote healthy options.
NEW FDA GUIDANCE
The October 2021 guidance from the FDA's Center for Food
Safety and Applied Nutrition provides food manufacturers,
restaurants, and foodservice operations with short-term
goals (2.5 years). The FDA guidelines include goals to reduce
sodium concentrations in various food categories, rather
than in specific products.
Interestingly, the majority (70 percent) of the sodium in
Americans' diets comes from packaged or restaurant foods.
With average sodium intake in the U.S. over 3,400 mg/
day, there is considerable work to do to reduce intake to the
recommended limit of 2,300 mg/day to decrease the risk of
hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Thus, the overall goal of the FDA guidance is to support
reduction of average sodium intake to 3,000 mg/day as the
FDA continues exploring ways to reduce sodium. Federal
regulators point to studies which show that lowering sodium
intake to 2,200 mg a day would result in " tens of thousands
fewer cases of heart disease and stroke each year, as well
as billions of dollars in health care savings over time. " The
FDA also notes that similar voluntary initiatives have been
successful in other countries, including the United Kingdom,
where average sodium intake declined from 3,800 to 3,240
milligrams per day between 2003 and 2011, a change that
was accompanied by decreases in blood pressure.
Sodium is already in the processed and restaurant foods
when purchased, which makes it difficult to reduce the
sodium content. Although it is wise to limit use of added
table salt in food preparation and at the table, only a small
amount of the daily sodium consumed comes from the salt
shaker.
THE ROLE OF SODIUM IN FOOD AND DIETARY
FOOD SOURCES
Sodium is an electrolyte that helps the body maintain fluid
and blood volume so it can function normally. While the
words " salt " and " sodium " are often used interchangeably,
they do not mean the same thing. Salt (also known by its
chemical name, sodium chloride) is a crystal-like compound
common in nature. Sodium is a mineral, and one of the
chemical elements found in salt.
Sodium becomes a health risk when consuming too much, as
this can raise blood pressure.
18 NUTRITION & F OOD SER VICE EDGE | JULY-AUGUST 2022
Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - July/August 2022

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