TITLE:
“No Need to Get Salty” Or Is There? Sodium Functionality as a Consideration in Nutrition Public Health Policy
AUTHORS:
Molly Riordan, Brandy-Joe Milliron, Rachel Sherman, Lauren Miller, Jennifer Aquilante, Jonathan Deutsch
KEYWORDS:
Sodium Chloride, Dietary/Administration & Dosage, Health Promotion/Methods, Nutrition Policy, Food/Standards, Food Technology
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.12 No.2,
February
22,
2021
ABSTRACT: Aim: Public
health professionals focus on both downstream (individual) and upstream
(population-level) interventions to reduce sodium consumption and prevent
sodium-related chronic diseases. Effective upstream interventions specifically aimed
at reducing dietary sodium intake include the implementation of comprehensive
nutrition standards that restrict the amount of sodium contained in foods available for purchase. The aim of this work was to identify
sought-after foods that did not meet the Philadelphia Nutrition Standards’
sodium limits and reformulate those foods to be standards-compliant and
consumer-acceptable. Subject and Methods: Two foods were reformulated
for compliancy with the Philadelphia
Nutrition Standards’ sodium limits and consumer acceptability: the hoagie roll
and soft pretzel. Reformulation included sensory testing and engaging potential
manufacturing partners to investigate products’ commercial potential. Results: While hoagie roll reformulation led to a local company manufacturing and
selling the reformulated product, soft pretzel
reformulation stalled due to lack of consumer acceptability of the reformulated
product. Salt contributes desirable characteristics in the texture, taste, and
appearance of the soft pretzel, the absence of which consumers found
unacceptable. Conclusion: Product reformulation holds great potential to
create lower-sodium foods that otherwise have all of the characteristics of the
higher-sodium “original” products but requires an
understanding of the role of salt in product
recipes. Reducing salt without considering its multiple functions in food may
result in a product that is unacceptable or even unsafe. A simple four-step
tool can help public health practitioners evaluate the extent to which products
are suitable for reformulation.