The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds 90% of Americans exceed the recommended daily amount of sodium. Only 9.6% of the total population consumed the recommended amount, with only 5.5% of at-risk groups consuming the 1,500mg suggestion.
To counter this, numerous companies have announced plans for cutting the sodium levels in their products. Campbell has reformulated 85 of its 200+ soups to contain less salt and has introduced lower-sodium Pepperidge Farm bread. Frito-Lay and ConAgra, likewise, have slashed the sodium levels in their respective potato chip and popcorn products, and Kraft has announced plans to reduce the sodium content of its entire North American portfolio by an average of 10% over the next two years. ConAgra is aiming for a line-wide sodium reduction of 20% by 2015, while Unilever’s efforts are somewhat more complicated: it wants to reduce the sodium levels in its line down to the World Health Organization maximum salt recommendations of 5g (roughly 2000mg of sodium) a day by 2015.