WASHINGTON—FDA issued a statement regarding a report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) titled “Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States.” The IOM report concludes that national action is imperative to reducing sodium content in food, and thus reducing incidence of hypertension and major cardiovascular events for Americans. The FDA statement also responds to an article in The Washington Post that states FDA is “planning an unprecedented effort to gradually reduce the salt consumed each day by Americans.”
The FDA statement reads, in part: “The FDA is not currently working on regulations nor have they made a decision to regulate sodium content in foods at this time.
Over the coming weeks, the FDA will more thoroughly review the recommendations of the IOM report and build plans for how the FDA can continue to work with other federal agencies, public health and consumer groups, and the food industry to support the reduction of sodium levels in the food supply. The Department of Health and Human Services will be establishing an interagency working group on sodium at the Department that will review options and next steps.
Success in reducing sodium intake will require coordinated national action, with participation of all. We are encouraged by the fact that some food manufacturers have already begun or announced their commitment to reduce sodium levels in their products.”
Click here to read the complete FDA statement.