Should the FDA mandate new federal standards for the amount of
salt in food?
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
“Should the FDA mandate new federal standards for the amount of salt in food?” Yes: 4 No: 8
? Karen Anderson: “No. The salt content is already on the required nutritional label. Those who need to limit salt can read the labels and, in many cases, can purchase the product in a low salt form. Too much baby-sitting.”
? Dave Appling: “No. Our sodium consumption is indeed far too high, and publicity, warnings, and market-based incentives are very appropriate. Nanny-state regulation is not.”
? Bert Berson: “Yes. Let’s also increase the food content in what we eat.”
? Chris Bryant: “No, as with other ingredients they should set standards for what can be marketed as ‘low sodium’ but as with fat and sugar content they should let the market drive the levels. Education is the solution rather than mandates.”
? David Cohen: “No. People need to take responsibility for their actions, including what they put into their mouths.”
? Dennis Kennedy: “No, but better notification of the amount and recommended max on the label would help.”
? Julian Mancias: “Yes.”
? Linda McNulty: “Yes, but more importantly what about the excessive number of preservatives that are added? Or the other harmful products on the market? I suppose it is a good start.
? Henry Miller: “No! Recommend, suggest, advise, OK. But what we don’t need is more government, particularly a Department of Salt.”
? Lisa Pampuch: “No. The FDA is right to insist that food labels accurately list the ingredients and their quantity, but wrong to try to dictate recipes to food manufacturers.”
? Emily Shem-Tov: “Yes, if the voluntary cutbacks by the food industry that the FDA is starting to ask for don’t go far enough, adding further regulations may have a tremendous health impact.”
? Jeff Smith: “No, they should not. All the information about sodium, fat, calories, etc. is on everything you buy now. People should be free to choose what and how much they eat without governmental agencies dictating what’s right for them.”
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