Amid rising government pressure and consumer concern, food makers are taking a new tack in their long-running effort to sell products with less salt. Instead of offering foods labeled as low salt that few people eat, they are gradually reducing the salt from some of their most popular items—and not making a big fuss about it on the label.
By next summer, ConAgra Food Inc.’s Chef Boyardee canned pasta will have decreased its sodium by about 35% over the course of five years without a word on the package. Campbell Soup Co.’s original flavor of V8 100% vegetable juice also silently dropped its sodium by 32% over eight years.
For decades, new reduced-sodium products often had dramatic reductions of at least 25% from their original version to meet government regulations on advertising sodium declines. Those products often tasted different, and sales typically were slim.
So food makers in recent years have adopted a new strategy: decrease sodium so slowly that customers don’t notice it.
Food Makers Quietly Cut Back on Salt – WSJ.com
I think this is an excellent approach. First of all, the companies are doing the right thing by reducing the salt content. Secondly, I think people can indeed retrain the tongue to appreciate tastes by gradually reducing salt usage. It’s not like they are doing anything wrong by not proclaiming their gradual salt reduction in foods. They are smart enough to know that marketing health information is not always well received by the public.
.-= Ferd´s last blog ..I Resolve to Eat Better =-.
I agree, people are getting use to seeing reduced sodium on many of the products that they buy. I also like the fact that some restaurants are cutting back in salt (like NYC). That wasn’t mentioned in this blog post but it goes along with gradual reduction in the food that we buy and order in restaurants.
I think it is great that food companies are reducing salt in their products…….how ever in another point of view when things are salty people will eat a lot less as a lot of people have cut back on the amount of salt they use, therefore then cannot stand to eat junk food or any food with a lot of salt in it. so it helps them lose weight….
Good point Mary Anne! I quit using salt years ago, in fact still have the same blue box of Morton salt in the cupboard that has to be over 10 years old.