FDA debates stricter regulation of salt in food
| Kim Dixon |
| Reuters |
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COLLEGE PARK, Maryland (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators on Thursday debated a consumer group’s bid to boost regulation of salt in food and revoke the ingredient’s “generally recognized as safe” status.
Excessive salt in Americans’ diets is a major factor in high blood pressure and is a risk factor for heart disease, and most Americans surpass recommended limits, according to health experts. The consumer group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, cited these factors in calling for stricter regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“Clearly, salt should be considered generally recognized as dangerous, not safe,” said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the group, which has petitioned and sued the agency over the years.
Trimming the salt content in processed and restaurant foods by half could save up to 150,000 lives a year by reducing heart-related disease, Jacobson said, citing an article published in the American Journal of Public Health.
An FDA hearing on the matter marks the first time in a quarter century that the agency has considered the issue.
Officials of the American Medical Association, which represents many of the nation’s physicians, and the American Heart Association were to testify later on Thursday at the hearing, calling for stricter limits on salt.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association-Food Products Association, a trade group for the food industry, favors keeping the current regime. It said the industry could support a voluntary approach on salt.
“Salt has been used safely in foods since antiquity,” said Robert Earl, a group spokesman.
Excessive amounts of salt can be bad for health, but it is safe when used in moderation, he argued.
The agency now uses labeling and education to inform the public about salt, and limits the amount of salt that can be used in products labeled as “healthy.”
The CSPI is asking that the FDA beef up salt labeling for all products, require manufacturers to reduce salt in packaged foods, and revoke salt’s “generally recognized as safe” status, which would subject it to stricter regulation as a food additive.
The American Heart Association advises adults to limit daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams, or about one teaspoon. The average American consumes about 3,300 milligrams per day, according to government data cited by CSPI.
The vast majority of sodium in modern diets comes from processed foods like soups, frozen dinners and condiments, according to the heart group. One frozen chicken teriyaki dinner, or one small can of Bloody Mary mix, contains a full day’s worth of sodium, Jacobson said.
The FDA last looked at regulating salt more broadly in 1982 but decided against it for several reasons, including the difficulty of enforcement. It opted instead to boost information and education and rely on voluntary efforts by food producers.
Citing the rising daily intake of salt and the burden of heart-related diseases in the United States, Jacobson said the hands-off approach has been tried and found wanting.
“We’ve been there, done that; it didn’t work,” he said.
(Reporting by Kim Dixon; editing by John Wallace)
© Reuters 2007
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