Should we be adding nutrition to New York’s list of leadership roles in addition to finance, tourism, and entertainment?

After paving the path with calorie labeling in fast food restaurants, banning trans-fat, shocking us with anti-soda pop ads, and then suggesting a tax on sugary drinks, the city’s department of health circa January 2010 is all about salt reduction.

In a press release yesterday, the health department announced a plan for voluntary reduction of salt from packaged foods and in restaurants of 25% over the next 5 years. The National Salt Reduction Initiative, is a New York City-led partnership of cities, states and national health organizations, that plans to work with the industry to achieve this goal. Precedents exist on national levels, most notably in Finland, which nearly halved sodium consumption over several decades starting in the 1970’s.

What you need to know:

A bit of salt is good, both for our body and our food enjoyment. The problem for many Americans is that the bit-of-salt has become too-much-salt, almost twice as much as we need to consume. And the excess is not doing us any good:

• Diets high in salt increase blood pressure, a leading risk factor for heart attacks and stroke.
• These conditions cause 23,000 deaths in New York City alone each year – more than 800,000 nationwide – and cost Americans billions in healthcare expenses
• Most Americans eat almost twice the recommended limit of salt each day.
• Even people with normal blood pressure benefit from lowering their salt intake.

Over 70% of the salt we consume comes from processed foods, whose manufacturers have been under a certain pressure to reduce their salt content for several years. Their big problem is who’ll jump into the cold water first. You see, our collective taste buds are currently wired to extra-salty. If one manufacturer decides to dramatically decrease the salt value in its foods while the others don’t , it stands a chance of falling out of f(l)avor with consumers and losing market share.

That’s why a coordinated effort where all manufacturers are required to reduce sodium gradually over time may be a good idea.

Incidentally, in the food industry’s praise (which is not something Fooducate often doles out) some manufacturers have been reducing sodium content gradually and quietly over the last few years. It’s interesting to note the stark difference in approach in canned soup, a notoriously sodium laden product, between Campbell’s and Progresso. Both are reducing their salt content but while the former proudly boasts the sodium reduction on its products and marketing materials, the latter is keeping mum.

What to do at the supermarket:

While we wait for salt values to enter orbit, let’s not fool ourselves into complacency. Salt is still a big issue and even after the proposed reduction values will be higher than necessary. The fastest way to lose the salt is to eat less processed foods. If you do buy prepared foods, look at the sodium values and compare.

A good number to remember is 600mg per serving. Lower is better, higher is not.

PS – enjoy the video of Alicia Keys singing about NY. Not directly related to nutrition or nutrition, but probably one of the best thing in music in a long while…

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Campbell’s has announced that it will be reducing the sodium content in its SpaghettiOs line of products by 35%. The change will take place by the upcoming spring.

“Offering healthier versions of our products for kids is a major priority for Campbell,” said Sean Connolly, President, Campbell’s US soups, sauces and beverages. “Changing the recipe of SpaghettiOs comes on the heels of reducing sodium in our condensed kids soups to healthy levels. It’s also consistent with our commitment to advertise only sound food choices to children.”

Indeed?

We decided to take a look inside the label at SpaghettiOs Original, a minute before the sodium reduction. Read more…

Michael Jacobson is the director of the non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a non-profit consumer advocacy group that serves as an almost lone crusader against the might of the food industry lobbies in Washington DC. At a weekend nutrition conference at Tufts University, Dr. Jacobson presented, as he has been doing for decades, the case against excess salt consumption.

He began his presentation with a proclamation that salt is the single deadliest ingredient in our food supply – worse than all the additives, pesticides, and trans fats combined.

After reviewing the regulatory history of salt over the past 50 years, it was quite obvious that government efforts not only failed in curbing sodium consumption, it has actually gone up. (If you are wondering why, look no further than the average American pantry. Each year, more processed food takes the place of unprocessed cooking ingredients. Salt is used in many of these processed items as both a preservative and a flavor enhancer.)

The FDA held a public hearing on salt in 2007, one of many such activities that ultimately ended up yielding no tangible results.
But there is some hope. The UK, as well as New York City are mounting campaigns calling for the voluntary reduction of salt in processed foods in an incremental fashion over the course of the next 10 years.

And some manufacturers are playing game. In some product categories, there is a two to threefold variation in sodium levels. This means that salt can be removed without harming the product’s flavor. Additional measures include using potassium chloride (instead of sodium chloride), using herbs and spices to round off the flavor, and setting a different size of salt crystals to create a saltier taste perception while actually using less salt.

At the end of the day, Dr. Jacobson believes sodium reduction needs to be handled both through regulation and by industry efforts.

He notes the good work done by Campbell’s, who took a bet reducing sodium by 30% in their best selling tomato soup product line, which accounts for 15% of their sales. Campbell’s is heavily touting the new formulation in its current marketing campaigns. Other food processors opted to silently reduce sodium levels, as in their minds consumers associate less salt with bland product flavor.

On the regulatory front, CSPI would like to see the FDA partially revoke salt’s GRAS (generally regarded as safe) status if the amount per serving in certain food categories is above a certain threshold. And the USDA should also be involved, as 20% of the salt in foods comes from USDA regulated products such as hot dogs and chickens injected with a salt water “broth” of up to 200mg per serving.

Dr. Jacobson ended his talk on an optimistic note, hoping that 2010 will be the year of the salt. He left the podium with one last stat – a 100mg daily reduction in sodium consumption by every American will reduce health care costs in the US by $18 billion!

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flickr photo: monkeyc.net

The American Grocery Shopper Survey, one of the largest of its kind, surveys 50,000 consumers about shopping habits and preferences. It is conducted by Brandspark International every year and additionally produces the Best New Products Awards.
Here are some interesting tidbits:

52% of consumers plan to eat more at home in 2009 compared to last year.

71% of shoppers are worried about health claims of products they purchase.

80% of early adopters in supermarkets are women. This is easily explainable – 70% of a household’s primary shoppers are women, and they usually spend more time shopping.

Three trends for early adopters:
- greater awareness and concern about chemicals and artificial sweeteners in food
- more health conscious
- believe in branded foods as representing higher quality

Top motivators for buying new products are:
- value for money
- better quality
- added health benefits

Top 3 trusted food brands
- Kraft
- Campbell’s
- General Mills

Most important health concerns:
- healthy living
- weight loss

Green issues:
- 58% of consumers want new products to be “natural”
- 70% of consumers are interested in buying environmentally friendly products, but 75% believe manufacturer claims are more PR than substance.
- Only 40% of shoppers are willing to pay more for greener products.
- 78% think manufacturers need to reduce packaging waste.

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Image: Campbell Soup Company

Last week, Campbell Soup Company reintroduced 12 of its popular canned soups for children, reformulated to be considered healthy by FDA standards:

…12 Campbell’s® Kids soups, reformulated to contain 480 milligrams of sodium per serving.

Now popular favorites [...] meet the government criteria for “healthy” foods – controlled for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and being a good source of a positive nutrient like vitamin A.

The newly-reformulated soups are the latest to come to market as part of Campbell’s ongoing commitment to wellness, for a total of 78 soups in the portfolio at the healthy levels for sodium. By leveraging a combination of unique, lower sodium natural sea salt and expertise in flavor design, Campbell has been able to deliver lower sodium options without sacrificing taste.

Read the Press Release…

What you need to know:

For years, using salt was a cheap and easy way for manufacturers to mask the canned flavor of commercial soups. However, due to high levels of consumption, salt is now recognized as a serious threat to public health. Americans consume almost twice the recommended daily allowance of 2400mg (a teaspoon) a day. This leads to high blood pressure and related ailments.

Reducing salt is a good move by Campbell’s, in line with its strategy to refurbish a tarnished image of canned soup as a mega warehouse for MSG and sodium.

Taking for example, the Disney Princess Pasta Shapes soup, Campbell’s has reduced sodium from 580mg to 480mg per serving, and eliminated monosodium glutamate completely.

However, the bit about unique, lower sodium natural sea salt is marketing hype. There is no nutritional difference between sea salt and regular salt (derived from rock salt mineral deposits). True, the flavor may slightly differ when shaken on to food, due to tiny amounts of additional minerals found in sea salt. But the amount of sodium is the same.

Also in the reformulation, the calorie count actually went up from 70 to 80 calories per serving, but this is negligible.

What to do at the supermarket:

Thinking about making your own soup but afraid to try? Soup is actually one of the easiest foods to prepare because it is very tolerant to mistakes by beginners. Scoot on over to the produce section and get some carrots, celery, pumpkin, zucchini, and onions. At home, wash, peel, dice, and throw into a pot of boiling water. Let cook for a few hours, add pepper and salt, and your soup is ready. Much tastier than canned soup, and guaranteed to contain less sodium.

OK, this week you don’t have time. In this case, look for soups with a reduced sodium level, preferably 480mg or less per serving.

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flickr photo: sglickman

Great article in USA Today, with some hope and advice on reducing sodium in our diet:

Salt is being siphoned from soups, banished from breads, channeled out of chips, even bumped from baby foods.

Big foodmakers, from Campbell to ConAgra, have companywide plans to cut salt. Lower sodium is “our top strategic priority,” says CEO Douglas Conant of Campbell, which has cut sodium in everything from soups to Prego sauces to V8 juices.

Read the article…

What you need to know:

Too much salt raises blood pressure. Americans are consuming nearly twice as much daily than the recommended amount. Estimates are that 150,000 deaths a year are the result. For consumers, it’s hard to reduce salt intake because most of the salt in our diet comes from packaged foods and fast food meals. The good news is that manufacturers are introducing more low-sodium alternatives than ever.

What to do at the supermarket:

Look for lower sodium options in the bread aisle, canned soups, chips and popcorn, and babyfood. If you see a product with more than 600mg (25% DV) per serving, that’s a high amount of sodium. Steer away.

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Image via Wikipedia

The chilly autumn evenings are an invitation for a hot bowl of soup. Two of the biggest canned soup manufacturers are also heating up the advertising wars between them. Campbell’s and Progresso have taken up newspaper ads extolling their health benefits, with Progresso recently boasting 26 soups sin monosodium glutamate.

From Marion Nestle’s blog:

Pity the poor makers of canned soups. Canning blands out the taste so they add grams of salt to cover the blandness. But less salt is healthier, so the companies add MSG (monosodium glutamate) instead.

Only now they’re taking out MSG as well.

What you need to know:

MSG is considered safe by the FDA and other health agencies around the world. However there are health controversies surrounding it since the 1960’s and some people just don’t want to take a chance. The Progresso marketers are playing on our MSG fears with their MSG free lineup. The best solution? Prepare your own soup at home. It’s easy, tastier, and healthier.

What to do at the supermarket:

For those who prefer the convenience of canned soup – If you are sensitive to MSG, or plain don’t want it in your soup, just look out for monosodium glutamate in the ingredient list. Also look for high levels of sodium. Campbell’s low-sodium version has 660mg, which is over a quarter of the recommended daily intake.