Sodium Reduction
|
Sodium Reduction News The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) are extending the comment period to January 27, 2012, for the notice entitled "Approaches to Reducing Sodium Consumption; Establishment of Dockets; Request for Comments, Data, and Information," that appeared in the Federal Register of September 15, 2011 (76 FR 57050). This notice relates to the following dockets: Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0400 and Docket No. FSIS-2011-0014. In the September 15 notice, FDA and FSIS requested comments on research, data, and other information that will better inform both Agencies about current and emerging practices by the private sector regarding sodium reduction in foods; current consumer understanding of the role of sodium in hypertension and other chronic illnesses; sodium consumption practices; motivation and barriers in reducing sodium in consumers' food intakes; and issues associated with the development of targets for sodium reduction in foods to promote reduction in excess sodium intake. FDA and FSIS are extending the comment period in response to a request from an industry association for additional time to allow interested persons to submit comments. Electronic or written comments and data and information should be submitted by January 27, 2012. The Federal Register notice extending the comment period is available on the FDA webpage for Sodium Reduction at http://www.fda.gov/sodiumreduction.This notice is scheduled to publish in the Federal Register on November 30, 2011 and provides specific information on the procedures for submitting comments to the dockets. NACCHO encourages the federal government to make addressing high salt intake a priority. NACCHO encourages the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to align its policies to reach the Healthy People 2020 goal of limiting sodium intake to 2,300 mg per day. NACCHO also encourages its partners and local health departments to submit comments to the docket. NACCHO and Sodium Reduction NACCHO is currently working on two major sodium reduction initiatives. NACCHO is supporting the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to undertake a study of the sodium intake among New York City residents.They have been working with food manufacturers, chain restaurants, and trade associations to set targets for sodium reduction in packaged and restaurant foods. The study will use urinary sodium excretion to monitor changes in the sodium intake of residents over time. The goal of the study is to see the impact of policy and environmental changes on sodium intake of residents. For more information on their sodium reduction work, visit their website. NACCHO is also supporting the National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI) which is a coalition of cities, states, and health organizations working to help food manufacturers and restaurants voluntarily reduce the amount of salt in their products. This initiative is lead by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The public-private partnership has developed voluntary two- and four-year targets for the average salt levels in 62 categories of packaged food and 25 categories of restaurant food. Many companies have already signed onto the commitment. More information about the initiative can be found at the website. Importance of Sodium Reduction The American diet is resulting in many poor health outcomes due to over consumption of salt. On average, Americans consume nearly twice the recommended daily value of sodium. The majority of sodium consumed is already present in processed and restaurant foods. Sodium-rich diets increase the risk for hypertension, which also put one at risk for heart disease and stroke. Approximately one in three adults suffer from hypertension. Reducing the national sodium intake is a recommended strategy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Institute of Medicine to reduce hypertension and related deaths. Resources Visit the Chronic Disease Prevention Toolkit for tools on sodium reduction, including: Additional Resources
|