SILVER SPRING, MD. — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Aug. 15 issued draft guidance for its Phase II approach on sodium reduction, which includes reducing sodium intake among Americans by 20% over a three-year period to an average of 2,750 mg per person per day.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting per-capita sodium intake to 2,300 mg per day for consumers age 14 and older, but intake was about 3,400 mg prior to 2021, according to the FDA.

The Phase II voluntary sodium reduction goals are intended to balance the need for gradual reductions in sodium and what is known about technical and market constraints on sodium reduction and reformulation, according to the FDA. The draft guidance provides goals that include both a target mean concentration and an upper-bound concentration of sodium for various food categories. Sodium intake reduction should progress at a pace that allows consumers to adjust to the lower amount of sodium in their food, according to the FDA.

The FDA’s Phase I approach was issued in October 2021. Preliminary data from 2022 showed about 40% of the Phase I targets “are very close to or have already been reached,” the FDA said. The Phase I approach encouraged the food industry to reduce sodium levels in a variety of processed, packaged and prepared foods, because more than 70% of sodium intake in the US population comes from sodium added during food manufacturing and commercial food preparation. The Phase II approach will do the same.

“Reducing sodium in the food supply has the potential to be one of the most important public health initiatives in a generation,” said Jim Jones, deputy commissioner for human foods at the FDA. “The early successes we're seeing with sodium level reduction in certain foods is encouraging and indicative of the impact we believe our overall nutrition approach can have on the well-being of society.

"In addition to our sodium reduction efforts, the FDA is also actively working on a forthcoming final rule updating the definition of the claim ‘healthy,’ a proposed rule for front-of-package nutrition labeling and exploring ways to reduce added sugars consumption. The FDA's sodium reduction and other nutrition initiatives are central to a broader, whole-of-government approach to help reduce the burden of diet-related chronic diseases and advance health equity.”

The FDA will accept public comments on the draft guidance for sodium reduction until Nov. 14.