The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning about the salt content found in packaged and processed food, saying that food producers are knowingly and dangerously ignoring the long-standing salt content guidelines.
In a new report from the CDC, the agency suggests that worrisome proportion of packaged foods overstep federal guidelines and contain high concentrations of salt that is not always revealed to the buyer with sufficient prominence. Public health authorities have been pushing for a reduction in salt for decades due to the fact that is one of the known causes of high blood pressure and a wide variety of other health complications.
In the study from the CDC, the organization was trying to determine if a persons likelihood of suffering from high blood pressure varied in accordance with their geographical location. In addition, there were interested in finding out whether the salt content varied in accordance with the area in which they were produced and sold.
The results failed to show any evidence of such links, but it did confirm that excessive levels of salt are being used in the manufacturing of packaged foods across all regions included in the study.
The worst offenders were packaged foods that contained meats and pasta, with 80% of instances overstepping federal salt intake guidelines. Pizzas were the next worst offenders often containing too much salt in 70% of cases, while cold cuts and soups were filled with unhealthy salt levels 50% of the time.
"Americans consume an average of 3,500 milligrams (mg) of sodium each day (excluding salt added at the table). But the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day. About six in 10 adults should further limit sodium to 1,500 mg a day," states the CDC's official report.
"Although most of the regional differences found did not have a clear direction or contributor, some may relate to regional variations in the popularity of specific types of products within a food category."
According to the report from the CDC, 77% of the salt consumed by Americans comes from restaurant meals, take-out food and packaged food that is prepared in the home.
Americans love affair with salt looks like it will continue as long as people continue to turn to fast food meals or packaged foods that are quick and easy to prepare and as long as manufacturers continue to ignore the guidelines, the population will continue to consume salt at potentially dangerous levels.
