Health experts urged for imposing strict restrictions on salt usage in the diets of US residents at a public hearing organized by the US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday. Excessive salt in the diets of Americans are a major cause of high blood pressure and increases the risk of heart diseases.
According to the Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), whose petition to US Food and Drug Administration prompted the public hearing, reducing the salt content in processed and restaurant food by half would save 150,000 lives every year by reducing heart diseases.
CSPI wants the FDA to enforce regulations that would force manufacturers of packaged foods to reduce salt added to foods and to revoke salt’s ‘generally recognized as safe’ status.
According to government data, an average American takes 3,300 mg of salt per day. The American Heart Association however advices adults to consume less than 2,300 mg salt every day, which is about one teaspoon.
Some say that by giving incentives to companies might encourage them to reduce use of salt. For example to get a label for a ‘reduced sodium’ claim now, industry must cut sodium by 25% against the reference food.
Source:msnbc
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