News
CSPI finds restaurants' saltiest meals, urges regulation
May 11, 2009
WASHINGTON — The Center for Science in the Public Interest is renewing its call on industry and government to lower sodium levels in foods. Unsafe levels of sodium chloride, or salt, in chain restaurant meals increase one's chance of developing hypertension, heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease, according to CSPI.
The nonprofit food safety and nutrition watchdog examined 17 chains and found that 85 out of 102 meals had more than a day's worth of sodium, and some had more than four days' worth, including meals from casual dining chains Red Lobster, Chili's and Olive Garden.
People with high blood pressure, African Americans, and people middle-aged and older — 70 percent of the population — should consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium daily, according to the government's dietary advice. Others should consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day and children aged 4-8 should consume no more than 1,200 mg of sodium per day, according to the Institute of Medicine.
Meals that have one or two days' worth of sodium include:
- Red Lobster Chicken Fingers, Biscuit, Fries, Raspberry Lemonade: 2,430 mg
- Chili's Country Fried Chicken Crispers with Rice and 1 percent milk: 2,385 mg
- KFC Popcorn Chicken with Macaroni and Cheese, Teddy Grahams, and 2 percent milk: 2,005 mg
- Jack in the Box Chicken Strips Grilled, Buffalo Sauce, Fries, and 1 percent milk: 1,980 mg
- Olive Garden Chicken Fingers, Fries, and Raspberry Lemonade: 1,835 mg
Since 1978, CSPIhas been urging theFood and Drug Administrationto press for lower salt levelsin processedand restaurant foods. In 2005, thegroup sued the FDAand then petitioned the agency to regulate salt as a food additive, subject to reasonable limits in a given category of food. Currently, the FDA considers salt to be "generally recognized as safe" and does not put any limits on its use.
CSPI is calling on the Obama administration to look to sodium reduction and other prevention measures as means of making health care reform affordable. Requiring chain restaurants to disclose sodium on menus would help consumers regulate their salt intake and would likely nudge the industry to provide more low-sodium choices, according to CSPI.
"Getting the food and restaurant industry to use less salt would be one way the Obama Administration could help prevent chronic disease and make health coverage more affordable," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson.
Jacobson will testify before the Senate Finance Committee that reducing sodium consumption by 25 percent over the next 10 years couldsave the government $9 billion a yearin direct medical costs.
Related Media
Subscribe
Get the latest news and resources from QSR Web.
