By Susan Brady
Health News
Thursday, 18 March 2010

Earlier this week Michele Obama took her anti-obesity fight to food
manufacturers at their annual convention, requesting that the industry
entirely rethink products, the information that provided about those
products, and the marketing behind them. We asked, "When the First
Lady Talks, Do Food Manufacturers Listen?" Well, apparently Kraft got
the hint, as they announced Wednesday that they intend to decrease the
sodium in their North America products by an average of 10 percent
over the next two years.

While 10 percent may not seem like a lot in the scheme of things, it
will translate into the elimination of over 10 million pounds of salt
in over 1,000 processed food items. That's good news for you and me,
and America's health overall.

"We are reducing sodium because it's good for consumers, and, if done
properly, it's good for business," said Rhonda Jordan, president,
Health & Wellness, Kraft Foods. "A growing number of consumers are
concerned about their sodium intake and we want to help them translate
their intentions into actions."

Food manufacturers, including Kraft, have been providing consumers
with low-sodium products for some time, and labeling them as such. Any
supermarket shelf will reveal low-sodium canned vegetables, crackers,
soups, salad dressings, and lunchmeat. But this effort will
concentrate on retooling existing recipes to lower salt content.

Salt limitations could save thousands of lives and millions in
healthcare costs. New research, published in the Annals of Internal
Medicine, found that a reduction in American salt consumption by just
10 percent could prevent as many as half a million heart attacks,
while saving the nation about $32 million in healthcare costs.

Obviously, the timing of the announcement by Kraft, coming on the
heels of the First Lady's speech, was strategic. According to
FoodConsumer, "Industry insiders said Kraft has been working on salt
reduction for its foods at least in the past couple of years. In
recent years, the company has been working on some technologies that
can help reduce salt in its foods without compromising their sensory
quality." While they may have taken advantage of the extra media
exposure afforded them this week, the bottom line is that healthier
products will start hitting the shelves this year, and will help in
the fight against heart disease and stroke.