Diet-related diseases are among the leading causes of death in the U.S.. The typical American diet is high in sodium and added sugars, which can negatively impact health. In the U.S., more than two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of children have overweight or obesity. About one-third of adults have high blood pressure. These conditions increase the risk for preventable illness, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers.
The National Salt and Sugar Reduction Initiative (NSSRI) is a partnership of organizations and health authorities from across the country (PDF), convened by the NYC Health Department. The initiative sets voluntary reduction targets for sugar and salt and asks food and beverage companies to commit to meeting them. The NSSRI released preliminary sugar categories and targets for technical comment in October 2018. The initiative released updated targets for a second round of comments in July 2019.
Sugar Reduction Targets
After reviewing and integrating the first round of industry comments, the initiative released revised categories and targets (PDF) in July 2019. Organizations were once again invited to participate in the target-setting process by submitting written comments, requesting meets and asking questions.
The second comment period was open through September 30.Comments are currently being reviewed.
For questions about the categories and targets, to request a meeting or to join our distribution list, email sugar@health.nyc.gov.
Salt Reduction Targets
The initial phase of this effort, the National Salt Reduction Initiative, tracked nation-wide progress of sodium reduction in packaged and restaurant foods. Between 2009 and 2014, there was a 6.8% reduction in sodium levels in the U.S. food supply.
In June 2016, the FDA announced draft voluntary sodium reduction targets. These targets were partially informed by our initiative, as well as by similar initiatives in Canada, the U. K. and other countries.
Companies Committed to Reducing Salt
The following companies have committed to reduce salt in their products according to our target levels:
To learn more about our salt reduction targets, email salt@health.nyc.gov.
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