NYC leads effort to reduce salt in food

NEW YORK, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Six companies have joined a nationwide effort to cut the salt in packaged and restaurant foods by 25 percent over five years, New York health officials say.

Dr. Sonia Angell, director of the New York City Health Department's cardiovascular disease prevention and control program, says the New York City-led National Salt Reduction Initiative has developed specific targets to guide company salt reductions across 62 categories of packaged food and 25 categories of restaurant food.

The companies and their efforts:

-- Butterball commits to meeting the sodium-reduction targets in deli meats and hot dogs.

-- Delhaize America has 1,600 supermarkets along the East Coast and it will reduce sodium levels in 22 packaged-food categories, including frozen pizza, cereal and butter.

-- Furmano's, a supplier of foods to consumers and restaurants, will cut salt in its canned beans, baked beans and tomatoes.

-- Heinz, which made an initial commitment for its ketchup brand and Classico tomato sauce, is increasing its commitment to frozen pizza and entrees.

-- Hostess commits to reducing salt across its entire line of bread products.

-- Premio commits to decreasing salt in its uncooked sausages.

-- Snyder's of Hanover already meets the target for pretzels and now commits to cutting the salt in its unflavored chips.

These companies join Au Bon Pain, Boar's Head, FreshDirect, Goya, Hain Celestial, Kraft, LiDestri, Mars Food, McCain Foods, Red Gold, Starbucks, Subway, Unilever, Uno Chicago Grill and White Rose, which have already committed to NSRI targets.