Public health advocates on Thursday called for tighter restrictions on salt content in food, arguing that cutting the nutrient's overuse by most Americans could save thousands of lives annually.

Excessive salt in Americans' diets is a major factor in high blood pressure and increases risk for heart disease, while most Americans exceed recommended limits, according to health experts. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) cited these factors in urging stricter regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at a public hearing, held on Thursday at the FDA.

Trimming the salt content in processed and restaurant foods by half could save up to 150,000 lives a year by reducing heart-related disease, according to the consumer group, whose petition to the FDA prompted the public hearing.

"I am sure no one would tolerate so many deaths from airline crashes, so why tolerate it from food?" Dr. Stephen Havas, vice president for science and public health at the American Medical Association, said.

The CSPI, backed by several public health groups, wants the FDA to beef up labeling, require manufacturers to cut salt in packaged foods, and revoke salt's "generally recognized as safe" status, subjecting it to stricter regulations as a food additive.

The FDA, which has not considered the issue since 1982, now now uses labeling to inform the public about salt, and approves claims such as "low sodium."

"It is really a good time to be having this meeting," Laura Tarantino, director of the FDA's food safety office said, citing increased research and regulatory changes in other countries.

The American Heart Association advises adults to limit daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams, or about one teaspoon. The average American consumes about 3,300 milligrams per day, according to government data.

The group backs moving nutrient labeling to the front of packaging and stricter limits for claims like "low sodium." This would give manufacturers an incentive to cut added salt, it said.

The bulk of sodium in modern diets comes from processed foods like frozen dinners and condiments. One frozen chicken teriyaki dinner, or one small can of Bloody Mary mix, contains a full day's worth of sodium, said Michael Jacobson, executive director of CSPI.

"Clearly, salt should be considered generally recognized as dangerous, not safe," Jacobson said.

MANDATES

The Grocery Manufacturers Association favors keeping the current regime, arguing that cutting salt too much turns off consumers because of bland taste. It also said studies on health risk have not been rigorous enough.

"Salt has been used safely in foods since antiquity," said Robert Earl, senior director for nutrition policy at the Grocery Manufacturers of America, the food industry trade group. Others said they might support incremental changes. For example, to get a label for a "reduced sodium" claim now, industry must cut sodium by 25 percent against a reference food.

If companies could get a claim by trimming sodium by just 10 percent, that could be an incentive to make gradual reductions, Kathy Wiemer of the General Mills Inc (GIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition said.

That also would make it easier on consumers to get used to the taste of less salt, she added.

Public health advocates, though, said voluntary measures have not worked for decades, as salt consumption has risen steadily in the U.S., and with it, heart-related diseases. "These will continue to be ineffective without mandating lower levels of sodium in food products," Richard Kahn, chief scientific and medical officer of The American Diabetes Association said.

Britain adopted an aggressive labeling system including front-of-package labeling, and it has been successful in moving the industry to change, several experts said.

For example, several of McDonald's Corp. (MCD.N: Quote, Profile, Research) products in Britain contain nearly half the amount of sodium as similar products in the United States, according to Jacobson.

"Americans don't consume large amounts of salt because they request it, but often do so unknowingly because manufacturers and restaurants put it in," AMA's Havas said.

公共健康署星期四提倡更嚴格地限制食物中鹽的含量，聲稱由于減少大多數美國人過度使用的營養品，每年可拯救了上千美國人的生命。

根據健康專家的統計，大多數美國人超出建議極限，美國人食物中過多的鹽是導致高血壓和增加心臟病風險的一個主要因素。公共利益科學中心（CSPI）在星期四ＰＤＡ舉行的公開聆訊中，引用這些因素以力勸美國食品和藥品管理局采取更嚴格的規定。

根據消費群體在ＦＤＡ舉行的公開聆訊上的請愿書，調整加工食物和餐館食物中的鹽份到一半，以減少與心臟病有關的疾病，每年可以挽救高達１５萬人的生命。

美國醫藥協會科學和公共健康副總裁Stephen Havas博士說，“我可以確信沒有人可以容忍飛機失事造成的人員死亡，那么為什么要容忍由食物造成的死亡呢？”

公共利益科學中心（CSPI）由許多公共健康群體支持，希望ＦＤＡ加強標簽，要求生產商減少包裝食品的鹽分，廢除一般認為鹽是安全的評價，使之和食品添加劑一樣服從于更嚴格的規定。

自１９８２年以來，ＦＤＡ一直沒有考慮這項議題，現在采用標簽的方式來告訴公眾關于鹽的危害，并通過了如“低鈉”的主張。

ＦＤＡ食品安全辦公室主任Laura Tarantino引用其它國家增加的研究和控制說，“召開這樣的會議正是時候”。

美國心臟(病)協會建議成人每天的鈉攝入量少于２３００毫克。根據政府的數據，美國的平均數為每天３３００毫克。　

該群體將包裝上的營養標簽從后面移動到前面并精確限定如“低鈉”的主張。他說，這將給生產商帶來減少額外鹽分的動機。

現代食品的鈉含量來自加工食物，如冷凍食品和調味品。一份凍雞紅燒正餐，或一小聽血腥瑪麗預伴汁就含有一天所需的鈉量，CSPI的執行董事Michael Jacobson 如是說。

Jacobson說，“很清楚的是，鹽應該被當作一般是危險的，而不是安全的。”

要求

食品生產協會支持保持現有的制度，爭辯說過多地減少鹽會使消費者由于淡而無味而產生厭煩。他們還說對于健康風險的研究并不是足夠嚴格。

美國食品生產，食品產業貿易團體的營養政策高級主任Robert Earl說：“自古以來，食品中鹽的使用一直是安全的”。其他人說他們也許會支持增加的變化。例如，現在為了得到一張“減少的鈉”的標簽，食品工業必須對照一種參考食品來減少25%的鈉。“如果業界只要減少10%的鈉就可以得到一張標簽，這將成為一種對逐漸減少鈉的激勵。”通用磨坊公司（GIS.N: 引述、概況、研究）貝爾健康和營養研究所的Kathy Wiemer如是說。

她補充說：“這樣也能搞讓消費者容易適應少鹽的味道。”

盡管，公共健康提倡，說幾十年來自愿性的措施都沒有奏效，而美國的食鹽消費量一直穩步增長，伴隨著的是與心臟病有關的疾病也增長了。美國糖尿病協會的行政科學和醫藥人員Richard Kahn 說：“這些將持續成為無效的，沒有強制低鈉的食品。”

英國采用一種積極的標簽系統包括將包裝標簽放在前面，一些專家說，它已經成功地使業界發生變化。

根據Jacobson，例如，不少在英國的麥當勞公司的產品(MCD.N: 引述、概況、研究）和美國的同類食品相比只有近一半的鈉含量。

美國醫藥協會的Havas 說：“因為美國人要求，所以他們不消費大量的鹽，但通常在不知情的情況下消費，這是因為生產商和餐館的添加。”