January 12/Washington/PR Newswire -- The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has released Sodium and Salt: A Guide for Consumers, Policymakers and the Media, a science policy paper that provides policymakers, consumers, journalists and health professionals with current and scientifically accurate information and resources on sodium and salt.

"The food industry takes seriously its commitment to develop products that provide choices for consumers interested in managing their intake of salt (sodium chloride) and sodium," said Robert Brackett, chief science officer for GMA. "Companies are achieving lower sodium in products through extensive research, reformulation, new salt reduction technology and new product development. Thanks to these industry efforts, today there are more and more sodium- or salt-modified products available nationwide for consumers in the marketplace."

"We hope this paper can be a useful resource for policy makers, including the Institute of Medicine's committee on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake convening tomorrow in Washington, DC, and charged to make recommendations to help consumers find ways to meet the daily intake goal of 2,300mg of sodium in the federal government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005," continued Brackett.

To access GMA's science and policy paper on sodium and salt, visit http://www.gmabrands.com/publications/SPP_SodiumFINAL.pdf.

From the January 19, 2009, Prepared Foods E-dition