There's Salt in That?

With 16 companies pledging to reduce sodium content 25% in their processed foods, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's healthy foods push is gaining traction ... and exposing just how unexpectedly salty many foods are (like granola bars, salad dressing and syrup).

April 28, 2010 at 11:32AM by Marion Nestle | comment

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced yesterday that 16 food companies have agreed to join the National Salt Reduction Initiative spearheaded by the city’s Health Department. The companies have volunteered to reduce the sodium in their products by 25% within the next five years. Mostly, they say they will do this by 2012 or 2014 (see summary table).

Nation's Restaurant News points out that four of these companies are restaurant chains – Starbucks, Au Bon Pain, Subway, and Uno Chicago Grill. One, Boars Head, is a deli chain. And some food product companies – Mars, for example – are issuing their own press releases.

This is all good news and should encourage many more companies to take the low-salt pledge.

As the New York Times points out, salt lurks in unexpected places in processed foods. The article came with a great graphic, well worth a look.

To translate the numbers, recall that salt is 40% sodium. This means that:
1 teaspoon = 4 grams of salt;
400 mg sodium = 1 gram of salt;
200 mg sodium = 1/2 gram of salt.

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tags: sodium, salty foods, processed foods, mayor michael bloomberg

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Marion Nestle

Noted author Marion Nestle is a Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. She is the author of What to Eat.
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