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Nutrition groups set sights on sodium as next menu battleground

Nutrition groups set sights on sodium as next menu battleground

WASHINGTON —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, at the urging of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, late last year convened a public hearing to help determine whether the use of sodium should be regulated in food preparation. The agency continues to collect comments on the issue. The Washington, D.C.-based CSPI favors reducing by half the use of salt in restaurant and prepared foods. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

In addition, Michael Jacobson, CSPI’s executive director, said his organization is discussing the issue with state and city health commissioners in an effort to jumpstart similar initiatives at the local level. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

Jacobson also said CSPI has not ruled out filing an ingredient-related lawsuit against a restaurant chain, similar to the one the nutrition watchdog group leveled against KFC and its use of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil two years ago. Industry officials say it was only a matter of time before salt—which has been linked to high blood pressure, hypertension and cardiovascular disease in some individuals—hit the food-activist radar screens. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

“We have been saying for several years that after trans fat, there was going to be a race to see if salt or caffeine would take center stage,” said Rick Berman, president of Berman and Co., a Washington, D.C.-based research and communication firm with an emphasis on food and beverage issues. “It looks like we can no longer take the threat with a grain of salt.” —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

But where the trans-fat issue caught many in the restaurant industry off guard, a growing number of operators already are beginning to address salt content in their food rather than wait for legislation to force their hands. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

For example, Au Bon Pain and Uno Chicago Grill have been working to reduce the sodium content in menu items for more than a year. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

“We don’t see this as a trend,” said Ed Frechette, senior vice president of marketing for fast-casual Au Bon Pain. “This one won’t just come and go.” —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

The National Restaurant Association in Washington, D.C., also is addressing growing concerns about salt by hosting a conference titled “Nutrient Essentials: Sodium and the Healthy Plate” in Chicago July 9–11. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

“There has been a lot of attention on sodium over the past year, which goes along with a wave of singling out specific nutrition messages,” said Sheila Weiss, the NRA’s director of nutrition policy. “It’s confusing to the public when the focus is on individual nutrients. You just can’t keep changing the health message every year. A holistic approach to health is the way to go.” —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

Weiss voiced concern that “with the way policy makers and local government officials are looking at nutrition policy these days, [sodium] could turn into the next artificial trans fat.” —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

“It’s an entirely different issue,” she said. “Salt is necessary for food production, for taste. We’d like to make the FDA understand that the industry has already made strides in reducing salt in food.” —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

The CSPI, nevertheless, says lawmakers must act to reduce the amount of salt in restaurant and prepared foods. The group urges the FDA to revoke salt’s status as “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, and reclassify it as a food additive. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

The American Medical Association also has called for a 50-percent reduction in the use of sodium in food, estimating that 75 percent to 80 percent of the average daily intake of sodium comes from processed or restaurant foods. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

Berman counters, however, that the argument to reduce salt in the diet is exaggerated. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

“Only a very small group of people are being affected by it,” he said. “Low-sodium diets are like gluten-free diets—clearly, there are people with salt sensitivity. But salt in the average American is not an issue. It is an overstated concern with far-reaching solutions that have no relationship to broad health realities. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

“This is all about activist groups telling you how to prepare your food and what you can sell. It may get to a point where you can’t have a salt shaker on the table unless you request it.” —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

Yet Jacobson maintains that in terms of health, sodium is “a bigger problem than trans fat.” —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

“The best thing would be if the industry makes it a priority,” he said. “Restaurateurs have made tremendous progress on trans fat.” —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

Some restaurateurs already are examining the use of salt in their food preparations. Uno Chicago Grill, the 200-plus-unit casual-dining operator in West Roxbury, Mass., started looking at the sodium content of its menu items 18 months ago, said president and chief executive Frank Guidara. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

Guidara, who also is a member of the Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Roundtable, said every recipe eventually will be scrutinized. So far, it has cut the salt in several items, including its Italian Wedding Soup and Vegetarian Soup, and is in the process of adjusting its salad dressings, he said. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

Guidara cautions that reducing salt in recipes can be difficult. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

“Every new item has to go through a battery of taste tests,” he said. “You can’t compromise taste.” —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

Au Bon Pain also has been working to remove some of the salt from its menu items, Frechette said. The chain recently switched to an all-natural chicken product with reduced sodium, he said. It also is gradually reformulating its soups. It has nearly cut in half the amount of sodium in its French onion soup, which previously had “almost an entire daily recommendation in one serving,” Frechette said. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

“This is an important thing to monitor,” he said. —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

The NRA’s Weiss said the trade group is hosting the conference to engage “with chains, suppliers, regulatory officials, the research community and other stakeholders and help our members take a multifaceted look at sodium.” —Even as policy makers and consumer groups across the nation continue to press for bans on the use of artificial trans fats, observers say the foodservice industry’s next big ingredient flashpoint already could be shaping up in the form of common salt.

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