Obamas fear of sodium makes Pepsi, Kraft and Kellogs act

Forget fat free. What customers want in the next few years is sugarfree and SODIUM free. In Us more products are now turning sodium reduced, according to the Economist. Pepsi has goals to lower sodium content in its drinks with 25% by 2015. Kraft has promised to reduce sodium content in North American products with 30% by 2012.

The American Congress is talking about regulation, Michelle Obama is targeting child obesity, so PepsiCo, Kraft, Kellogg and others have set up a body called the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation to act before they are forced to. In May this coalition promised that by 2015 it would cut 1.5 trillion calories a year from the American market.

Remember though that the sodium reduction is a result of politicians being concerned. Even if 90 % of Americans say they care about health, is this what they want? The Economist writes: "Over the past 20 years, according to Harry Balzer of NPD, a research firm, the main shift in American eating habits has been from foods that must be prepared (such as pot roast and peas) to those that are convenient (such as pizza and frozen sandwiches). Kraft may be investing in healthy foods—more than half of its new products in the past year were in the “health and wellness” category. But the company is also energetically marketing an expanded line of Macaroni & Cheese."

A schizofrenic market, for sure...

Salt contains about 40 per cent sodium. Common food additives, such as baking soda, some preservatives, and monosodium glutamate (MSG), also contribute to the total amount of sodium we consume.