Now Bloomberg's Coming for Your Salt!

Another day, another Bloomberg health initiative: This time it's salt's turn in the mayor's crosshairs. Today the city is launching a broad new effort to reduce the amount of salt in packaged and restaurant food by 25 percent over the next five years. Unlike Bloomberg's controversial calorie count law, the plan is voluntary for food companies and involves no legislation. (It's hoped that companies will cut salt so gradually that consumers won't even notice.) Food Emporium and Subway have already pledged their allegiance to the anti-salt crusade, but naturally the Salt Institute (yes, there is such a thing) is fuming.

"There's a certain arrogance when the New York City Health Department is setting policy for the rest of the country," Salt Institute spokeswoman Lisa Roman tells the Post. "These are decisions that should be made personally." And Dr. Michael Alderman, a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, thinks the initiative amounts to an uncontrolled experiment with the public’s health, telling the Times, "I’m always worried about unintended consequences." But Dr. Thomas Farley, the city health commissioner, says the bottom line is that "we all consume way too much salt, and most of the salt we consume is in the food when we buy it."

The city's National Salt Reduction Initiative is being conducted in partnership with other cities because major food companies can't alter their products for just the New York market. A&P, the supermarket chain that operates in NYC as Food Emporium, is expected to cut the salt in hundreds of store brand products it sells under labels like America’s Choice and Smart Price. And Subway will commit to the city’s salt guidelines at its nearly 23,000 stores across the country. Subway's six-inch spicy Italian sub currently has a salt content that is far above the city’s goals.

According to the Health Department, only 11% of the sodium in Americans’ diets comes from their own saltshakers; nearly 80% is added to foods before they are sold. The sodium in salt is a major contributor to high blood pressure, which in turn causes heart attack and stroke.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in Food on January 11, 2010 10:20 AM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

Guns, fat, salt, cigarettes, what's next? the air we breathe?

SonnyBobiche

Oh yes! You are an emitter of greenhouse gases (water and CO2) so be prepared for the taxes that Gore and Bloomberg want to impose on your polluting body.

NannyState

Once again, Mr. Sarcasm Meter seems to have eluded you...

themercenary

Great, because New York needs more bland food.

Pachinko

The land of the free, BS!

I agree that there is too much salt in commercial foods, and 25% reduction sounds about right. Taste buds will adjust. It is true, as Kim Bong states, there is no conclusive research regarding the negative effects of salt.

Kim Bong Ill

The only problem with this is there's no conclusive research that sodium has any negative bearing on health.

hotstepper

the same jury is still out on whether or not there was a terrorist attack during the GW Bush presidency.

sidenote

Fine w/ me - not like you can't add your own salt if you want. Sounds good too that they don't mandate this time, but just nudge in the right direction.

verbal

famous last words...

SonnyBobiche

First, they came for my cigarettes, then they came for my trans-fat, then my salt, then my sugar, then my red meat, then a lady who claimed that she had had five babies screamed at me from the view screen for not been able to touch my toes.

MrManhattan

How is this a "Bloomberg initiative" when it's supported by 26 other cities,and the AMA. The Campbell soup company calls it "laudable" and even the snack food lobby's only objection is that the time-line is too short.

It seems only the "Salt Institute" and Bloomberg haters are against this.

I agree with Rocknrope, no one is prohibited from adding more salt.

(I also agree with Zampano, that cars are a far greater threat to our health, but you remember what happened when congestion pricing was proposed!)

ohhleary

Here, here. As someone who has tried to manage my hypertension since I was a teenager, I've always struggled with learning the sodium content of menu items when I eat out. This is entirely voluntarily, but I will certainly patronize any place that lays off on the salt.

Politburo

You and Zampano are both wrong. Salt is a greater threat to your health, given that 6x as many Americans are killed by heart disease and stroke than accidents.

jt10000

Good info - thanks.

hotstepper

you better not lay a finger on my sausages and salamis!!

mmmm...salted, spicy, savory meat.

JacqueMehoff

this coming from a guy who put's salt on his pizza?

Jack D. Ripper

Salt. Trans-Fat. Second hand smoke. Sheesh!

Let’s do something about the public health menace going on in our streets instead.

What's the use of eating healthy if your going to get 'runt over' by an out of control taxi or distracted SUV?

Rocknrope

While I don't like the whole nanny state policing, it would be great to have more lower sodium items available. I can add my own salt, thanks.

verbal

My bet is that mayormidgetmike has high blood pressure, clogged arteries, and emphysema; if he can't party no one can.

SonnyBobiche

Totally agree. He should really STFU and leave us alone. And, people use to call Giulani a dictator!

BTW, Love your avatar; just watch out for crazy Somali axe murderers.