Too much salt in people's diets.
Fun City, my ass.
Mayor Bloomberg, the mayor who declared war on tobacco, sugary drinks and trans fats, has identified a new public enemy -- now he wants to protect New Yorkers from salt.I'm all for people eating right and watching their salt intake but let's get real. We've got more than enough government in our lives. Politicians dictating to food companies how to produce their food products is absurd. If Bloomberg is so interested in low-salt products, let him start up a company and sell them himself. Until then, could you please stop with the nanny state nonsense?
Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley launches a campaign today to cut New Yorkers' sodium intake by one-fifth over five years.
"If we achieve our goal, we would talk about saving tens of thousands of lives," Farley said, predicting that deaths from strokes and heart attacks will dramatically fall.
The City Health Department is spearheading the National Salt Reduction Initiative, which will cajole food manufacturers to voluntarily cut sodium content 20 to 25 percent by 2014.
Some 26 other cities, states and organizations, including the American Medical Association, back the campaign.
The initiative is modeled on a program enacted in the United Kingdom to lower sodium in 85 food categories. It resulted in a 9 percent drop in sodium consumption over nine years.
Table salt, which accounts for a minuscule amount of a person's salt intake, is not targeted.
After more than a year of meetings with major food producers, the US food industry is offering cautious support.
"We very much believe we share a common goal with New York City," said Juli Mandel Sloves, a spokeswoman for Campbell Soup Co.
She added, however, "The recommendations proposed are laudable but very aggressive."
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