It seems nobody likes the government to tell us what to eat. In the face of a federal push to restrict salt in food production, the industry’s trade association has launched a pro-salt campaign that it describes as its most aggressive challenge ever to federal research.
Food industry groups have fought for decades to shape federal nutritional guidelines. In the past several months, salt advocates have taken aim at the government’s methodology, joining a chorus of doctors and dietitians who have long questioned the scientific basis of many federal dietary recommendations.
The Salt Institute is arguing that the government’s understanding of salt is entirely flawed and is requesting a clinical trial to evaluate the health effects of a low-salt diet.
“The root cause of all these problems is that the dietary guidelines are faulty,” said Lori Roman, president of the Salt Institute. “We are concerned that if the government acts further to try to force people into an unnaturally low amount of sodium that we could hurt people.”