The IAFNS Sodium in Food & Health Implications (SoFHI) committee supports collaboration among academic, industry, and government scientists and focuses on the development and communication of sodium research on foods, food patterns and health implications across demographics.
The Committee has four primary areas of focus:
• Facilitate stakeholder dialogue on topics related to intake of sodium in the context of the total diet;
• Support applied clinical or epidemiological research to improve the understanding of sodium in foods and the relationship to estimates of intake;
• Understand different facets of sodium reduction in foods;
• Provide subject matter expertise to NGOs, federal agencies, and other public health stakeholders on sodium as relevant to food composition, food safety, and food quality.
Interested in learning more? The sodium committee has continuing education:
- Access CEU credits here.
General Mills, Inc.
Projects Supported by the Committee:
Publications
Top Sodium Food Sources in the American Diet—Using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Nutrients, 2023
Targeting the Dietary Na:K Ratio—Considerations for Design of an Intervention Study to Impact Blood Pressure
Advances in Nutrition, 2022
Fundamental to developing a specific dietary recommendation for a sodium-to-potassium ratio is a well-designed human intervention trial.
Sodium Reduction Technologies Applied to Bread Products and their Impact on Sensory Properties: A Review
International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 2021
Chronic overconsumption of sodium has led to its designation as a nutrient of public health concern. Sodium reduction technologies discussed include methods in the areas of salt removal, physical modification, salt replacement and flavour modification.
Potassium Chloride-Based Replacers: Modeling Effects on Sodium and Potassium Intakes of the US population with Cross-Sectional Data from NHANES 2015–2016 and 2009–2010
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2021
Public sodium intake in the USA exceeds the recommendations of the Food and Drug Administration. The replacement of added sodium chloride (NaCl) with potassium chloride (KCl) provides a potential strategy to reduce sodium intake while remaining within the KCl range recommended for health.
Perspective: Challenges and Strategies to Reduce the Sodium Content of Foods by the Food Service Industry
Advances in Nutrition, 2023
This perspective article provides an overview of the challenges and strategies that have been used by the food service industry to reduce sodium in foods away from home, as well as future sodium reduction strategies. Because of the widespread consumption of foods away from home, implementing such future strategies could have a profound impact on the sodium content of the American diet.
Events
Webinar Series: Lessons Learned — Opportunities and Challenges to Monitoring Sodium in the Food Supply
January 24, 2024
Virtual, Event
Monitoring sodium in the food supply to evaluate progress against voluntary sodium reduction targets is the focus of this webinar.
Webinar Series: Continuous Improvement — What Manufacturers are Doing to Reduce Sodium in Food Products
January 23, 2024
Virtual, Event
Sodium reduction initiatives date back to the 1970s and have impacted many types of products including bread, soups and canned food products, seasoning blends, savory snacks and more. However, as the food supply and consumer behaviors evolve, more work is needed to further reduce sodium.
Webinar Series: What’s New — Sodium Intake and Public Health Today
January 22, 2024
Virtual, Event
This webinar will present recent data on the public health impact of consuming excess sodium, the FDA’s approach to address sodium reduction, and how federal agencies track sodium in the food supply.
Read more about Webinar Series: What’s New — Sodium Intake and Public Health Today