U.S. households are buying less sodium
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that sodium acquired by U.S. households from packaged food purchases decreased significantly between 2000 and 2014.
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that sodium acquired by U.S. households from packaged food purchases decreased significantly between 2000 and 2014. In addition, the study found that sodium content decreased significantly for packaged foods overall and for all top food sources of sodium. However, more than 98% of households had packaged food purchases with sodium density exceeding optimal levels.
The researchers set out to assess 15-year changes in the amount of sodium that U.S. households acquire from packaged food purchases, the sodium content of purchases, and the proportion of households that have purchases with optimal sodium density. To access these changes, the researchers conducted a longitudinal study of U.S. households in the 2000–2014 Nielsen Homescan Consumer Panel—a population-based sample of households that used barcode scanners to record all packaged foods purchased throughout the year. Time-varying brand- and product-specific nutrition information was used for 1,490,141 products.
In a nationwide sample of 172,042 U.S. households, the amount of sodium that households acquired from packaged food and beverage purchases decreased between 2000 and 2014 by 396 mg/day per capita. The sodium content of households’ packaged food purchases also decreased during this 15-year period by 49 mg/100 g, a 12% decline. The decreases in sodium in packaged food began in 2005 and continued through 2014.
In addition, the sodium content of households’ purchases decreased for all top food sources of sodium between 2000 and 2014, including declines of more than 100 mg/100 g for salty snacks and condiments, sauces, and dips. However, in all years, less than 2% of U.S. households had packaged food and beverage purchases with sodium density of 1.1 mg/kcal or less.
The researchers concluded that while significant reductions in sodium from packaged food purchases were achieved in the past 15 years, most US households had food and beverage purchases with excessive sodium density. Findings suggest that more concerted sodium reduction efforts are needed in the United States.