FDA Mulls Cutting Salt in Processed Foods

"There are a variety of tools to communicate salt content," he said. "There is also a lot of effort that has gone on over decades related to slow, incremental reductions in salt content."

But salt reduction is happening in other countries, theAssociated Pressreported. For example, McDonald's Chicken McNuggets in the United States has more than twice as much salt as the same product in the United Kingdom, and Kellogg's Special K in the United States has 58 percent more salt in than it does in the United Kingdom, CSPI noted.

Getting rid of just a few dashes of salt a day will boost Americans' health, another expert said.

"There is no doubt that most Americans consume too much salt, and no doubt sodium excess contributes to high blood pressure, stroke and the rate of premature death," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine.

"I strongly favor reductions in the sodium content of processed foods, and labeling that makes it easier for all of us to gauge and control our sodium intake," Katz said.

Still, he has his reservations when it comes to regulatory intervention. "I am less enthusiastic about reclassifying a nutrient because of the failings of the food supply at large," Katz said.

More information

For more information on cutting down on sodium, visit the American Heart Association.

SOURCES: Milton Stokes, R.D., spokesman, American Dietetic Association; Nancy Cook, D.Sc., associate professor, medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston; David Katz, M.D., M.P.H., director, Prevention Research Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.; Robert Earl, M.P.H., R.D., senior director, nutrition policy, Food Products Association, Washington, D.C.; Nov. 29, 2007, statement, American Medical Association;Associated Press