Should You Cut Salt From Your Food Products?

In the wake of recent studies regarding sodium and American heart health, big name food corporations and distributors are cutting or reducing salt in their most popular products.

Here's why - as it says at the Chicago Tribune, major food corporations like Sarah Lee Corp., Kraft, and ConAgra Foods are working to cut back on salt so as to minimize the health problems inherent to too much sodium intake.

There are many reasons why they're doing this, but the question is: do people really want it?

It turns out that people actually like salt. Numerous studies have found that foods with lower sodium content are often found to be less appealing to the public.

So the trick is seems like find salt alternatives that appeal to consumers' palettes.

This brings up the issue of making food without salt, which is often part of the chemical reaction necessary for leavening, food preservation, and more. Altering production lines to accommodate lower salt varieties can be challenging.

So, how can--and should--food manufacturers cut back on salt? Right now it appears that only a small portion of the public is actively seeking lower-sodium alternatives. Regardless, food ingredients suppliers like us are well aware of the trend and have various salt alternatives for you to try for your production line.

When it's time to offer low-sodium alternatives to consumers who'll be watching their salt intake (and how you use salt in your products) when they shop and dine out, it may take some experimentation, but good alternatives are available.