Noting that "the bill exhibits profound ignorance not only of matters of taste -- literally -- but also of the chemistry of cooking," Barnes interviewed food experts.

"It's a preposterous notion," says baker extraordinaire Michael London, whose Mrs. London's Bakery has been a Saratoga Springs institution for more than three decades. "Not using salt would make breads insipid and anemic."

In food scientist Shirley O. Corriher's "CookWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Cooking," she writes that even the minimal salt used in baking -- as little as one-third of a teaspoon per cup of flour -- enhances the flavor of dough, controls bacteria, slows yeast activity and strengthens dough by tightening gluten. "The small amounts we are dealing with … are not enough to add significantly to dietary salt intake," Corriher writes.

Harold McGee is author of "On Food & Cooking: The Science & Lore of the Kitchen," which since 1984 has been the bible of professional chefs and bakers for the clear way it translates food science into practical cooking tips.

He writes: "(Salt) fills out the flavor of foods, sweets included. It's an important component of taste in our foods, so if it's missing in a given dish, the dish will taste less complete or balanced. Salt also increase the volatility of some aromatic substances in food, and it enhances our perception of some aromas, so it can make the overall flavor of a food seem more intense."

...

How about Ortiz and his colleagues debate how to fix New York's nausea-inducing fiscal problems instead of literally causing us to lose our appetites?

Finally, three points:

Our bodies need salt to function properly.

Our bodies don't need excessive salt -- any more than they need too much fiber, vitamin C, healthy fats or water.

In fact, you can die if you overdrink water. Why? Because your sodium level has dropped too low.