Shake Salt from Diet, Group Warns

"The salt in our diets has turned our hearts and arteries into ticking time bombs, time bombs that explode in tens of thousands of Americans every year," he said. "The key to lowering sodium is not so much admonishing consumers as requiring manufacturers and restaurants to use less salt." Jacobson said the dangers of excessive salt consumption--which can increase blood pressure--have been forgotten in recent years as consumers and nutritionists, including himself, have been worrying about calories, carbohydrates and trans fat, a byproduct of a process that makes oils more solid and increases their shelf life. The result is that salt consumption has steadily increased in the last several decades, with Americans consuming a daily average of 3,375 milligrams of sodium, far in excess of the 2,300 milligrams recommended by the federal government, which is roughly a teaspoon, he said.

While many processed food products contain excessive amounts of salt, the situation is as bad or worse at restaurants, Jacobson said. He singled out Swanson Hungry-Man XXL Roasted Carved Turkey frozen dinner and Denny's Lumberjack Slam Breakfast, which have 5,410 milligrams and 4,462 milligrams of sodium, respectively. Neither Swanson nor Denny's responded to Tribune calls for comment.

The lawsuit calls on the FDA to change salt's status from "generally recognized as safe" to "food additive," giving the agency more regulatory muscle to limit salt in processed food. A similar lawsuit by the Center for Science in the Public Interest was dismissed from federal court in 1983. An FDA spokeswoman said the agency is reviewing Jacobson's salt study, titled "Salt: The Forgotten Killer ... and the FDA's Failure to Protect the Public's Health." But she declined to comment further about the study or the lawsuit.

At Jacobson events, there is inevitably a table displaying the allegedly unhealthful products that are being
attacked. His adversaries, even while paying a backhanded tribute to his effectiveness, say Jacobson is little more than a skilled alarmist, a sort of Chicken Little of the food chain. "The Center for Science in the Public Interest is probably at the top of the list of groups that have bullied the American public into adopting their agenda," said Dan Mindus, a senior analyst at the Center for Consumer Freedom, an advocacy group largely funded by the restaurant industry. "They are very effective fear mongers."

Alison Kretser, director of scientific and nutrition policy for the Grocery Manufacturers of America, said the food industry has been reducing the amount of salt in its food for years. She said incremental reductions were necessary because consumers generally have rejected low-sodium and no-sodium products. And while the food industry has found substitutes for fat and sugar, it has been unsuccessful in finding one for salt, despite two decades of effort, she said.

"Consumers won't settle for inferior taste," Kretser said. "If you say low sodium, some consumers won't even pick that up because they perceive that it doesn't taste as good." The food industry has had to add salt to some products, such as deli meats, to ensure food safety, industry officials said.

Dick Hanneman, president of the Salt Institute, which represents salt producers, said the science addressing the impact of salt on blood pressure was inconclusive, and he criticized Jacobson for making "bombastic charges" based on flimsy research. Referring to Jacobson's lawsuit against the FDA, Hanneman said there is no reason to change salt's status to that of a food additive.

The natural salt content in food accounts for just 10 percent of total salt intake, while discretionary salt use accounts for 5 percent or 10 percent more. The remainder comes from salt added by manufacturers, making it difficult for Americans to eat a low-sodium diet, Havas said.