FDA to permit use of salt substitutes in efforts to reduce sodium intake

The US FDA has proposed changes to the standards of identity (SOI) for foods to permit the use of salt substitutes.

Product developers would now have the flexibility to work with ingredients that are regulated by the SOI rule.

As SOIs require certain ingredients in the formulation, replacing salt with a salt substitute would be illegal.

There are over 250 SOI foods, including milk, milk chocolate, breads, cheeses and ketchup, with 80 of them specifying salt as a required or an optional ingredient.

The proposed rule does not list permitted salt substitutes but requires them to be “safe and suitable ingredients.” Potassium chloride is an often-used substitute. The agency also acknowledges the functional nature of salt.

According to the FDA, “the extent to which salt can be replaced depends on the ability of salt substitutes to replace the functions of salt in food without compromising the food safety or other essential characteristics of the food.”

The FDA''s 2021 voluntary sodium reduction targets for processed, packaged, and prepared foods seeks to reduce Americans' average daily intake of sodium from the current 3,300mg per day to 3,000 per day and ultimately to 2,300mg per day.

The proposed rule, "Use of Salt Substitutes to Reduce the Sodium Content in Standardized Foods," should be published shortly in the Federal Register, after which the industry and public will have 120 days to comment.