Assessing Changes in Sodium Content of Selected Popular Commercially Processed and Restaurant Foods: Results from the USDA: CDC Sentinel Foods Surveillance Program

Ahuja, Jaspreet K. C.; Li, Ying; Haytowitz, David B.; Bahadur, Rahul; Pehrsson, Pamela R.; Cogswell, Mary E.

doi:10.3390/nu11081754

Open AccessArticle

Assessing Changes in Sodium Content of Selected Popular Commercially Processed and Restaurant Foods: Results from the USDA: CDC Sentinel Foods Surveillance Program

by

Jaspreet K. C. Ahuja

^1,*,

Ying Li

¹,

David B. Haytowitz

^2,†,

Rahul Bahadur

¹

,

Pamela R. Pehrsson

¹ and

Mary E. Cogswell

³

¹

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, 10300 Baltimore Ave, Bldg 005, BARC-WEST, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA

²

2968 Schubert Dr., Silver Spring, MD 20904, USA

³

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Mail Stop F-73, Atlanta, GA 30341-3717, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

Currently Retired.

Nutrients 2019, 11(8), 1754; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11081754

Submission received: 18 June 2019 / Revised: 22 July 2019 / Accepted: 23 July 2019 / Published: 30 July 2019

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Dietary Sodium Research to Improve Human Health)

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Abstract

This report provides an update from the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sentinel Foods Surveillance Program, exploring changes in sodium and related nutrients (energy, potassium, total and saturated fat, and total sugar) in popular, sodium-contributing, commercially processed and restaurant foods with added sodium. In 2010–2013, we obtained 3432 samples nationwide and chemically analyzed 1654 composites plus label information for 125 foods, to determine baseline laboratory and label sodium concentrations, respectively. In 2014–2017, we re-sampled and chemically analyzed 43 of the Sentinel Foods (1181 samples), tested for significant changes of at least ±10% (p < 0.05), in addition to tracking changes in labels for 108 Sentinel Foods. Our results show that the label sodium levels of a majority of the Sentinel Foods had not changed since baseline (~1/3rd of the products reported changes, with twice as many reductions as increases). Laboratory analyses of the 43 Sentinel Foods show that eight foods had significant changes (p < 0.05); sodium content continues to be high and variable, and there was no consistent pattern of changes in related nutrients. Comparisons of changes in labels and laboratory sodium shows consistency for 60% of the products, i.e., similar changes (or no changes) in laboratory and label sodium content. The data from this monitoring program may help public health officials to develop strategies to reduce and monitor sodium trends in the food supply.

Keywords: sodium; food composition; hypertension; sodium reduction; monitoring; variability; FDA sodium reduction targets

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ahuja, J.K.C.; Li, Y.; Haytowitz, D.B.; Bahadur, R.; Pehrsson, P.R.; Cogswell, M.E. Assessing Changes in Sodium Content of Selected Popular Commercially Processed and Restaurant Foods: Results from the USDA: CDC Sentinel Foods Surveillance Program. Nutrients 2019, 11, 1754. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11081754

AMA Style

Ahuja JKC, Li Y, Haytowitz DB, Bahadur R, Pehrsson PR, Cogswell ME. Assessing Changes in Sodium Content of Selected Popular Commercially Processed and Restaurant Foods: Results from the USDA: CDC Sentinel Foods Surveillance Program. Nutrients. 2019; 11(8):1754. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11081754

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ahuja, Jaspreet K. C., Ying Li, David B. Haytowitz, Rahul Bahadur, Pamela R. Pehrsson, and Mary E. Cogswell. 2019. "Assessing Changes in Sodium Content of Selected Popular Commercially Processed and Restaurant Foods: Results from the USDA: CDC Sentinel Foods Surveillance Program" Nutrients 11, no. 8: 1754. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11081754

APA Style

Ahuja, J. K. C., Li, Y., Haytowitz, D. B., Bahadur, R., Pehrsson, P. R., & Cogswell, M. E. (2019). Assessing Changes in Sodium Content of Selected Popular Commercially Processed and Restaurant Foods: Results from the USDA: CDC Sentinel Foods Surveillance Program. Nutrients, 11(8), 1754. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11081754

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Assessing Changes in Sodium Content of Selected Popular Commercially Processed and Restaurant Foods: Results from the USDA: CDC Sentinel Foods Surveillance Program

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