FDA Considers Limiting Salt in Processed Food

The Center for Science in the Public Interest also presented information regarding the salt inundation found in consumer diets. American dietary guidelines recommend a daily limit of 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, but the average American consumes around 4,000 milligrams of sodium daily, nearly double the recommended maximum.

The CSPI also states that "very little sodium actually comes from the salt shaker or home cooking", and according to one study, 77 percent comes from processed and restaurant foods. Other ways that salt sneaks into the daily diet is through foods thought to be low in salt, such as bread and cheese, that actually contribute 10.7 and 5.5 percent of daily sodium intake respectively. The public health groups wants the FDA to impose stricter limits on claims about "low sodium" content and to change labeling of sodium to "generally recognized as dangerous."