Just this year, sodium content has become the top nutritional information item consumers seek when selecting meat products, according to the 2015 Power of Meat report. For the past nine years, total fat content has been the number one item consumers look for on the nutrition facts panel when purchasing meat products. “Among shoppers who at least sometimes consult the nutrition facts panel when purchasing processed meats (85 percent of the population), top items are ones people like to limit or avoid, including sodium, fat, calories and cholesterol,” according to the report. Older consumers, compared to Millennials, more frequently focus on nutrients they want to cutback, like sodium and fat.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) named two nutrients—sodium and saturated fat—as being over consumed by the U.S. population, thereby posing health risks. Keeping daily sodium consumption under the maximum recommended level can be tricky for consumers. The DGAC recommends the general population consume less than 2,300 mg sodium per day, while the actual average daily sodium intake is more than 3,400 mg.
The DGAC recommends that industry bolster their efforts to reduce sodium in products and also educate consumers on how to use sodium-free alternatives, like spices and herbs, to flavor unsalted foods. The committee recommends that manufacturers continue efforts to improve the nutrition profile of food products through reformulation, including reducing sodium, fat and sugar, and also highlighting this nutrition information on packaging to increase consumer awareness.
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