New Harris Poll shows sodium slipping in consumer concern
Twenty years ago, public concern about dietary salt intake was the nation's top consumer concern. A Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive poll published in the Sept. 26. Journal shows that concern eroding. First, in the 1990s, salt fell to second place behind concern for fat intake. Now, with a vocal focus on obesity, consumers' top focus remains on fat, but sugar an overall nutritional value have jumped ahead of salt and calories also register high among food shoppers consulting the nutrition label. "Sodium (salt)" is now only the fifth highest nutrient of concern at 68% (fat, 83%; calories 76%; sugar, 72%, and nutritional value, 69%). Parents reading food labels to make food choices focus on sugar (82%), nutritional value (80%) and fat (73%) more than "sodium (salt)" (66%). Six in ten Americans confess to not even trying to follow the national Dietary Guidelines. At a symposium Sept 19-21 at Tufts University, SI president Dick Hanneman reports hearing national nutrition experts agreeing that not more than 3-4% of Americans are eating diets conforming to the Dietary Guidelines.
