Project Number: 1235-52000-061-29
Project Type: Reimbursable

Start Date: Sep 01, 2010
End Date: Jul 15, 2015

Objective:
With the increased emphasis on reducing sodium in U.S. diets, NDL and the Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS will pursue a collaboration to review and update the estimates for sodium and selected other nutrients in foods and to monitor possible changes in sodium levels, particularly in processed and prepared foods, over time. The NDL will update the National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference with new values for sodium in the Key Foods for sodium which together contribute up to 80% of the sodium in the U.S. diet.

Approach:
NDL will 1) identify Key Foods (e.g., sentinel foods), including restaurant and processed forms, which collectively contribute up to 80% of the sodium in the U.S. diet; 2) develop estimates for sodium in the Key Foods, including selected processed and restaurant foods, through analysis, acquisition of industry data, or label estimates; 3) develop a detailed plan for monitoring changes in sodium levels in specific food types in response to possible industry reformulations during 2010-2015; 4) update, maintain, and disseminate databases for the selected nutrients in high priority foods consumed by the U.S. population; and 5) determine the reliability of labeled values for sodium in selected foods which have standard Nutrition Facts panels. (This will not apply to many restaurant foods.)