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Chains move to pre-empt public calls for salt cuts

Chains move to pre-empt public calls for salt cuts

NEW YORK —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

Most recently, Denny’s, the 1,500-unit family-dining chain, said in February that it had reduced the amount of salt in its hash browns by 25 percent and was rolling the product systemwide. The chain also said it had cut the amount of salt in its cheese sauce and shrimp skewers by 20 percent and 25 percent, respectively. —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

The Spartanburg, S.C., based chain also said it had eliminated higher-sodium items from its kids’ menu, replacing them with more healthful items such as fruits and vegetables, and that turkey bacon and turkey sausage would soon be offered as alternative Grand Slam items. All the lower-sodium items will be available chainwide by June. —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

In addition to Denny’s, companies including Burger King, Yum! Brands Inc., parent of the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands, and Au Bon Pain have introduced in recent months initiatives to lower salt content in menu items. Late last year, Burger King said it would reduce sodium in its Kids’ Meals to no more than 600 milligrams each. In the United Kingdom, KFC has reduced the salt it uses by more than 85 tons a year, and in Australia, it is testing products with reduced sodium content. At Pizza Hut in South Korea, the brand is using cheese with 25 percent less sodium as well as pepperoni and meat toppings with 40 percent less sodium. The 220-unit Au Bon Pain bakery-cafe chain began testing a series of reduced-sodium foods that will roll out systemwide this year. —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

These steps come as a number of U.S. health organizations, including the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, work with the restaurant and packaged-food industries on ways to decrease the public’s daily salt intake. In addition to New York, city health departments in Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and the District of Columbia, as well as various counties in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Maine, Massachusetts and Michigan, also are exploring ways to lower the public’s sodium consumption. It is widely believed among health officials that ingesting excess amounts of salt can lead to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

New York health officials revealed their campaign to reduce the sodium levels in packaged foods and restaurant products during a meeting Oct. 29, 2008, and met with representatives of both industries again Feb. 10. —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

The department currently is putting together specific guidelines for the program, which will be voluntary and is intended to reduce the salt content of menu items by 20 percent over five years and 50 percent over 10 years. The program is expected to kick off in August. —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

“It sounded to me like they are very intent on moving ahead with their initiative, a voluntary program that is trying to get manufacturers and restaurant chains to reduce sodium levels in products, but it’s a little hard to pin down what [NYC health commissioner] Dr. [Thomas R.] Frieden actually has in mind,” said Scott Vinson, vice president of the National Council of Chain Restaurants. “Fifty percent is not something that was talked about during the first or second meetings, so it’s sort of news to me.” —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

While details of Frieden’s campaign are forthcoming, New York officials have said they would base their program on one implemented in the United Kingdom in 2003. That plan placed food products, such as breads, proteins and soups, into more than 80 categories and subcategories and then set reduction targets for each item. —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

“When we looked at the different opportunities and models that were shown to be effective, we decided to base ours largely on the U.K. model that includes setting targets for food categories and working with both manufacturers and food establishments to set and achieve those standards over time,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, director of cardiovascular health for New York City’s health department. “Targets will be based upon the average of the sodium for specific categories. The U.K. had up to 84 categories, but as we translate this and make it specific as to how [those products] are sold and evaluated here, we think there will actually be about 40 categories.” —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

According to Prof. Graham MacGregor, chairman of the Consensus Action on Salt and Health, or CASH, an active participant in the design of Britain’s sodium reduction plan, the goal is to reduce the amount of sodium in foods by 80 percent by 2012, including a 40-percent reduction in sodium levels in restaurant and packaged foods and a 40-percent reduction in the salt levels consumed by the public. —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

The U.K. strategy calls for the food industry to reduce salt by 10 percent to 25 percent at yearly intervals or at least once every two years, MacGregor said. —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

“Most, but not all companies, have reduced salt levels now by about 20 percent to 30 percent,” he said, “and there has been a reduction in the adult U.K. salt intake from 9.5 grams to 8.6 grams per day, which is estimated to save 6,000 people from stroke and heart attack deaths each year.” —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

Vinson of the NCCR continues to question some of the science connecting sodium intake and cardiovascular disease. —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

“It’s not clear to me that the science and medical communities are in agreement over the exact effects of sodium on cardiovascular disease and stroke and what levels are safe,” he said. “There needs to be further discussion about the science that underlies the assumptions the board of health is making.” —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

Vinson also suggested that the issue might be better addressed at a national, rather than municipal, level. —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

Sheila Weiss, nutrition policy director for the National Restaurant Association, said that despite the voluntary approach to the policy, the New York health department “must understand the challenges we face as an industry.” —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

“This isn’t something that can happen overnight,” she said. “Restaurant companies will have to work on this with consumers and suppliers to determine what reductions will be satisfactory. There also needs to be a recognition of what already has been done.” —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

Angell noted that the health department is well aware the initiative will take time to realize. —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

“We know this is going to take time, that reformulation doesn’t happen overnight,” she said. “We’re really just talking about moving levels back to [what they were] during the 1970s.” —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

Michael Jacobson, executive director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington, D.C.-based consumer advocacy group, said restaurant companies would need to review menus items individually, but that some improvements should be easy. —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

“Why should Burger King fries need twice as much salt as McDonald’s fries?” he asked. “Why should a grilled chicken sandwich at McDonald’s need one-third more salt than at Arby’s? Companies can simply compare nutrient levels of the products offered by different suppliers, or they could tell their suppliers that they need to provide samples containing varying reductions in sodium and then improving taste through other means.” —As public-health advocates in this city and others pour pressure on restaurant companies to lower the amount of salt in their food products, a growing number of operators already are reducing the sodium content of some menu items.

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