The Food and Drug Administration is taking new steps to try to lower the amount of salt Americans take in on a daily bases.
Medical societies have been pushing the American public to cut down on salt consumption for years. While it plays an important role as a preservative, the sodium content in many foods is higher than necessary.
That continues to contribute to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, so the FDA is trying to nudge guidelines in the right direction.
Americans should consume about 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day. That’s about a teaspoon of salt.
Right now, most people eat way more than that -- about 3,400 milligrams on average.
But the FDA’s new guidelines for processed, packaged and prepared foods hopes to lower than number to 3,000 milligrams per day over the next two-and-a-half years. That would cut out the equivalent of 60 teaspoons of salt per person each year.
The new recommendations are aimed at more than 150 categories of food manufacturers, restaurants and food service operators, from dairy to bread to baby food.
