FDA could put legal limits on salt consumption

Over the last year, seemingly a barrage of study after study after study has examined the negative health effects of high sodium intake. In January, a study by researchers at Stanford, Columbia and UC San Francisco found that even small reductions in one's daily salt intake can improve health dramatically, by lessening the risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. The same study found that a national program to reduce salt consumption could save billions in national medical costs, as much as $24 billion, researchers estimated. Studies emphasizing salt's health risks might encourage some individuals to wean themselves off of salt; but ultimately, reducing the nation's salt intake is impossible without the cooperation of the companies and establishments that create food to begin with.

Enter the Food and Drug Administration. On the heels of the Stanford study, the FDA announced that it plans to launch an initiative beginning this year that would cut the amount of salt consumed by American citizens, a plan that could eventually result in legal limits being imposed on the amount of salt in certain food products. The FDA said it would work in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, which regulates meat and poultry. According to the Washington Post, "Working with food manufacturers, the government would set limits for salt in these categories, designed to gradually ratchet down sodium consumption. The changes would be calibrated so that consumers barely notice the modification." Some food companies already offer lower-sodium versions of certain products. But so far, the government has implored individuals to restrict their own salt consumption; but this move would mark the first time it has acknowledged those efforts might not be enough.

The Post reports that the FDA would likely place any legal restrictions open to a public comment period. Some places, like New York City, have already made moves to regulate salt. According to the Wall Street Journal, this year the "New York City Health Department said it would encourage packaged food makers and restaurants to cut salt by 25% over five years."

I have to admit, while I shrug off other laws decried as "nanny" measures regulating things like smoking and tanning, laws limiting salt sure do scare me. Many journalists resort to vices like alcohol or tobacco, but I've always strayed from those. I do, however, consume an enormous amount of salt. I've been known to salt Saltine crackers, for example. While I don't doubt reducing my salt intake would improve my health, I think I'd certainly need some sort of salt-withdrawal coping mechanism. Can the FDA get me a salt patch?

Photo credit: TheGiantVermin