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Growing controversy and consumer unease with high-sodium products are fuelling a pre-emptive move by some food manufacturers and restaurants to introduce lower-salt options.

Dozens of low- and reduced-sodium soups, crackers, cereals, bacon and breads have been spilling onto the market in recent years as companies look to get ahead of what is widely seen as the next major consumer health trend. Fast food companies have also started introducing new menu items made with less salt to attract health-conscious consumers.

While the industry actions show signs of promise in the battle over sodium levels, many medical experts say more urgent measures are needed to address the pressing public health crisis.

Canadians consume dangerously high levels of sodium – an average of about 3,100 milligrams a day, more than double the recommended intake – increasing their risk of developing high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease, stroke and other serious health problems. But up to 80 per cent of that salt intake comes from packaged and processed foods, such as canned goods, salad dressings and bread products, which can make avoiding high-sodium foods tricky.

In Canada, federal policy-makers, industry representatives and health advocates are part of a government task force that's currently puzzling over the problem and possible ways to bring levels down and educate consumers about harmful levels.

Since the bulk of our salt is already in food when we buy it, the main issue on the table is lowering the amount of sodium in grocery-store and restaurant food. But for the food industry, the challenge is far from simple.

That's because there are no viable alternatives that can replace the flavour of salt, a snare that threatens to limit the pace of sodium-reduction efforts by the industry.

Salt is also relied upon as a preservative in many items, such as cold cuts, and there are fears that reduction could potentially compromise food safety.

“There's a realization that sodium levels have to come down in processed food products,” said Phyllis Tanaka, vice-president of scientific and regulatory affairs of food policy for Food & Consumer Products of Canada, an industry group that represents food companies.

But, she said, the industry would like to see those changes occur slowly, making sure the reduction is gradual enough that consumers don't notice.

That might not be good enough, according to Norm Campbell, the Canadian research chair in hypertension prevention and control, which is a pilot position created by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Hypertension Society, Canada's Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies and other groups to examine the sodium issue and possible solutions.

He agreed that a good sodium-reduction strategy will involve slowly reducing levels over a period of years, allowing companies time to reformulate recipes and consumers to adjust to the new taste.

But based on events he's observed in Britain, which has embarked on an aggressive national sodium-reduction campaign, the divide between what the medical community wants and what industry wants could be wider than it seems.

There, Dr. Campbell said many food companies said they would have difficulty meeting the voluntary salt-reduction targets published by the British Food Standards Agency. The Salt Association, which represents salt producers in that country, has also dismissed the new targets as “scientifically unsound,” and said that they could compromise food safety.

In Canada, where sodium is still a simmering issue and strategies haven't yet been formed, the discussion is more measured. Many industry members embrace the idea of voluntary salt-reduction goals while warning that drastic action could be detrimental to consumers and business.

“We need to be very strategic and recognize the complexity of sodium-reduction for specific products,” said Ron Reaman, vice-president of federal-government affairs at the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

Still, there are early signs of progress as more consumers flock to reduced-sodium offerings.

The Nielsen Company, a market research firm, said that 100 new low- or reduced-sodium products were introduced to the market in 2007. Sales of food products making low, reduced or salt-free claims reached $690-million in 2007, according to Nielsen.

In April, Unilever, which owns brands such as Knorr and Lipton, announced plans to cut sodium levels across all of its food brands, making it one of the first major companies to commit to such a large goal for all of its more than 22,000 products. Last year, Burger King announced plans to reduce sodium levels in kids' meals. And brands such as VH Sauces, items in the President's Choice line and some Breton crackers now include items with less salt.

Last year, Tim Hortons cut sodium in its cream of broccoli soup by nearly 25 per cent, according to company spokesman David Morelli. This year, the company reduced sodium by 12 per cent in its heart vegetable soup and 20 per cent in its minestrone soup.

Campbell Company of Canada has emerged as one of the front-runners of the sodium-reduction race by introducing reduced-salt products at the consumer level.

But just because the sodium in a product has been reduced doesn't mean it has healthy levels.

Under federal rules, food labels that claim to be “reduced in sodium” must contain at least 25 per cent less sodium than the regular product. But even food carrying a reduced-sodium label can still contain high amounts.

A label on Campbell's Healthy Request Herbed Chicken Noodle soup, for instance, says it contains 25 per cent less sodium than the company's regular ready-to-eat soup.

But one cup of the reduced-sodium soup contains 480 milligrams, a relatively high amount for a serving of food. The Canadian Stroke Network advises consumers to avoid any food that has more than 400 milligrams of sodium per serving.

Although the sodium may still seem high, Campbell Company of Canada said it is part of a process to gradually cut sodium levels over a number of years. It's important to ensure consumers are slowly acclimatized to reduced salt levels, or they could find the product bland, said Andrea Dunn, nutrition strategy manager at the company.

“If consumers aren't eating the soup in the end, or alternatively, if they're turning to a salt shaker, then we haven't achieved our goal of helping them get there,” Ms. Dunn said.

Although the salt in Campbell's products is there to enhance flavour, not guarantee safety, quickly removing large amounts risks a major rejection of the products by consumers.

Sodium health check

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada plans to launch a campaign to educate Canadians about the importance of reducing their sodium intake. But if consumers take the foundation's advice on which foods are healthy in the grocery store, they may consume unhealthy amounts of sodium.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation launched the Health Check program in 1999 to direct Canadians to healthy food products. More than 1,800 products are involved in the program – representing 200 brands in 75 food categories – and more than 800 restaurants.

Food manufacturers and restaurants must meet nutrition criteria established by dietitians working for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Products or meals that meet the criteria can have a check mark Heart and Stroke symbol put on the product label .

The problem, according to some critics in the medical community, is that the nutrition criteria isn't strict enough. That means some products that are relatively high in sodium can qualify, such as bread and cereal that contain 480 milligrams per serving . Many health advocacy organizations, such as the Canadian Stroke Network, recommends avoiding products that contain more than 400 milligrams of sodium.

The current Health Check criteria was established using Canada's Food Guide, as well as scientific evidence, advice from an expert panel, the foundation's policies, purchasing habits of Canadians and realities of the marketplace, according to the Health Check website. Health Check announced it was tightening requirements, which will be effective for all products by December 2010. But even then, sodium levels are still high. Packaged dinner entrées with up to 720 milligrams of sodium would be eligible for a Health Check endorsement under the new criteria; so too would canned tomato or vegetable juices that contain up to 480 milligrams of sodium.

Mr. Dean acknowledges that the levels are not necessarily ideal in all cases, but that they reflect “the reality of the food supply.”

The science of taste

A Canadian professor is embarking on a major research project that could help food manufacturers reduce the amount of salt in their products without sacrificing taste.

The work could be a significant breakthrough for the food industry, which is facing growing calls for sodium reduction but is worried about making products less appetizing.

The researchers are attempting to engineer salt molecules by putting small protein or carbohydrate shells around salt crystals so that the salty flavour is released more slowly once it reaches the taste buds, said one of the lead researchers, Dérick Rousseau, a food science professor in the chemistry and biology department at Ryerson University in Toronto. Instead of getting a burst of saltiness, the salty flavour would be more long-lasting, allowing food companies to cut their sodium levels without consumers noticing a significant change, he said.

“It's really just using Mother Nature's tools to control how quickly or slowly we can perceive the saltiness in food,” Dr. Rousseau said.

The development could help food companies cut their sodium levels by about 25 per cent without losing any of the salty taste, he said.

The concept they're looking to use already exists, he said, and has been adopted by companies selling slow-release pain relievers.