Salt Content Looms As Possible Next Big Health Issue For Operators (2/2)

According to a Burger King spokeswoman, recent reports wrongly stated that the company had pulled its support from the FSA initiative. The spokeswoman said the company has contacted FSA to reaffirm its position. She said BK would meet with the organization in the near future and planned to continue working with FSA in coming years. The trend to reduce salt, though apparent with food manufacturers in this country, hasn’t affected U.S. restaurants too much yet. However, observers note that many U.S.-based chains have fortified their menus with fresh fruit and salads, which are naturally low in salt. “With the latest trend in offering fresh salads, fresh fruits and vegetables, and more ethnic flavors with different kinds of spices, these automatically replace the use of sodium,” Cohn said. “They don’t need to add preservatives to fresh foods, so the sodium content isn’t an issue.” For example, a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 1,150 milligrams of sodium, or half of a person’s recommended daily allowance, but the Fruit and Walnut Salad contain only 85 milligrams. And customers can always order fries at McDonald’s without salt, said Cathy Kapica, director of global nutrition for McDonald’s Corp., who is among those who do not link salt consumption with heart disease. “Science tells us that salt does not cause heart disease,” Kapica said. But most experts disagree, urging chains to avoid adding salt to menus, though they acknowledge that it is difficult for operators to avoid salt entirely because many food manufacturers use it as a preservative. “Some restaurants use too much salt in cooking, partly because they add salt and partly because they use high-salt, processed items, like sauces, condiments, dressings,” Stokes said. Dodds agreed that reducing sodium poses a challenge for restaurants because they can’t control the amounts in their packaged foods from manufacturers. Yet another challenge companies face is tied to consumer demand. “Consumers have acquired the taste for excessive salt, and I think industry responds to the consumer demand,” Stokes said. However, he added, “Salt is an acquired taste. You can train your taste buds to favor more or less.” The NRA’s Cohn agreed, saying: “It’s a challenge to lower sodium in restaurants. Once people get used to a certain taste, taking sodium out can change it greatly. Removing a little at a time would be the best change because taking it all out at once may cause people to not recognize their favorite meal.” Experts suggest that restaurants should try to reduce salt gradually to avoid shocking their customers’ taste buds and try substituting with other flavors, such as spices and herbs. http://www.nrn.com/healthnutrition/