The Obama administration will propose voluntary levels on sodium in processed foods as early as this summer, in “one of its last fights with Big Food,” says Politico, citing current and former administration officials. “Most of the sodium that Americans consume comes from processed foods,” but efforts to nudge food companies toward lower sodium levels began seven years ago and have stalled “amid concerns about political blowback and new studies questioning whether salt is actually a pressing health threat.”
In response to a lawsuit by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the FDA agreed to act by June 1 on a CSPI petition for release of the voluntary sodium targets. The FDA told Politico it was working on voluntary standards but declined to say when the guidelines would appear. Companies would have a decade to meet the standards, if they are issued by the Obama administration and adopted by its successors. “Still, the idea stirs dread among some food manufacturers,” says Politico, because salt enhances the flavor of food.
“Almost everyone” believes the proposed salt rules are under review by the White House budget office, says Politico, but it was impossible to confirm that or how long the office has had the document. The Grocery Manufacturers Association says food companies reduced sodium usage by 16 percent from 2008-13 because of changing consumer preferences and pressure from activists.