Hold the Salt Infographic
Many Americans are fed up with high sodium in our food landscape. Just how fed up? See for yourself with out most recent consumer survey insights.
Americans want to Break Up With Salt…..
- 78% of parents want less sodium in processed foods
- 74% of Americans want less sodium in processed foods
- 72% of Americans want less sodium in restaurant foods
And they support government action to make it happen.
62% of consumers believe the government should be involved in setting limits on the amount of sodium added by food companies and restaurants.
85% of people support policies that further reduce sodium in foods served in school cafeterias.
Luckily, they’ve got science on their side.
The vast majority of studies support the need for sodium reduction. And the small handful of studies that don’t support sodium reduction have questionable methodology.
Currently, Americans’ sodium intake comes from:
- Processed and restaurant foods – more than 70%
- Naturally occurring - 14%
- Added while cooking - 6%
- Added while eating - 5%
And they’re ready to take control.
The survey found that 60% (3 out of 5) respondents want more control over the amount of sodium in the food they buy at the store and in a restaurant.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) have tried to reduce their sodium consumption.
Your voice matters! Tell us what you think and take action today Heart.org/sodium.
American Heart Association. Understanding Sodium Consumption Attitudes and Behaviors. IPSOS. Survey conducted May 25-June10 2016. Margin of error: 3.09.Odom, Erika C., Corine Whittick, Xin Tong, Katherine A. John, and Mary E. Cogswell. Changes in Consumer Attitudes toward Broad-Based and Environment-Specific Sodium Policies—SummerStyles 2012 and 2015. Nutrients. August 2017
“Between 2012 and 2015, support for environment–specific policies to reduce sodium in food
prepared in school cafeterias (2012: 80.0%, 2015: 84.9%, Table 3), workplace cafeterias (2012: 71.2%,
2015: 76.6%), and quick-serve restaurants (2012: 70.8%, 2015: 76.7%) significantly increased.”
O'Donnell et al., N Engl J Med. 2014;371(7):612-623
Mente et al. Lancet. Published online 20 May 2016. 0:0 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30467-6
Cobb, LK, et al. Methodological Issues in Cohort Studies That Relate Sodium Intake to Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes: A Science Advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2014: 129:00-00
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2014/02/10/CIR.0000000000000015.full.pdf
NEJM Dietary Sodium and Cardiovascular Disease Risk — Measurement Matters Mary E. Cogswell, Dr.P.H., Kristy Mugavero, M.S.N., M.P.H., Barbara A. Bowman, Ph.D., and Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. June 2016
Eckel RH, Jakicic JM, Ard JD, et al. 2013 AHA/ACC guideline on lifestyle management to reduce cardiovascular risk: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2014;129(25 Suppl
2):S76-99.
Harnack et al. Sources of Sodium in US Adults From 3 Geographic Regions. Circulation. May 2017 http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/135/19/1775
