Nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, which raises the risk of heart attack and stroke. Salt (sodium chloride) boosts blood pressure. In fact, cutting sodium consumption by about a third could prevent an estimated 252,500 deaths over 10 years. 

The problem: More than 70 percent of the sodium we consume is added to packaged or restaurant food before it ever reaches our plates. 

That’s why the Center for Science in the Public Interest (Nutrition Action’s publisher) has been fighting to cut sodium in the food supply since 1978, when we first filed a petition asking the FDA to limit sodium in packaged foods. Here’s the latest. 

Sodium targets 

In 2005, after decades of inaction from FDA, CSPI re-petitioned the agency to set mandatory upper limits on sodium in packaged and restaurant food. In 2015, we sued the FDA for failing to act. That led the agency to set voluntary 2½-year sodium targets in 2021. And this past August, in response to a CSPI petition, the FDA proposed a new round of three-year voluntary sodium limits. While that’s a step in the right direction, the targets need to be more ambitious. 

The food industry also needs to step up to the plate. Sodium levels in nearly half of all restaurant food categories rose between 2010 and 2022, says the FDA. 

Salt-ridden restaurant food 

According to our recent study of 2019 data, 5 percent of items at the top 91 U.S. restaurant chains contain an entire day’s sodium (2,300 milligrams), and 20 percent deliver more than half a day’s worth. 

Sit-down restaurants top the charts. For example, an order of Loaded Waffle Fries at Friendly’s has 3,646 mg, a Crispy Shrimp Platter at Ruby Tuesday has 4,990 mg, and a Big Bordurrito with Chicken at On the Border has 6,780 mg, according to the restaurants’ own data.

Thanks in part to CSPI’s efforts, New York City and Philadelphia now require menus at chain restaurants to post warning labels on items that contain a day’s worth of sodium or more. 

Until restaurants do more to cut the salt, you’ll need to check online to see how much sodium they’re dishing out. Chains with 20 or more locations are required to disclose sodium and most other Nutrition Facts. 

Potassium salt 

Switching from sodium chloride to potassium chloride can help companies cut sodium. That’s a win-win, because potassium can help lower blood pressure on its own. 

But potassium chloride sounds like an unfamiliar chemical, so in 2019, CSPI urged the FDA to allow labels to call it “potassium salt.” In 2020, the FDA agreed.  

Because most of our salt intake comes from packaged and restaurant foods, those foods are where potassium salt could make the biggest impact. In order to meet the FDA’s voluntary sodium reduction targets—and participate in improving population health—the food industry could replace some portion of sodium with potassium salt in packaged foods like bread and snacks, in frozen and fast foods, and even at restaurants. Less sodium and more potassium is a win-win for moving toward a healthier food supply. 

We’ll keep pushing the food industry and the FDA to cut salt in our food supply to help Americans live healthier lives. Until then, you can minimize high-sodium foods and load up on (potassium-rich) fruits and vegetables.