The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Phase I voluntary sodium reduction targets, issued in 2021 to encourage manufacturers to lower sodium in packaged foods by 2024, appear to have had minimal impact, according to a study presented at NUTRITION 2026 on July 25.
Kusnadi will present the findings at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in National Harbor, Maryland. The study compared the sodium content of new packaged food products introduced before and after the FDA guidance was issued. Researchers analyzed data from products launched between 2015 and 2025 across nine major categories: breads and bread products, pizzas, sandwiches/wraps, meat products, corn-based snacks, potato snacks, popcorn, dry soups, and wet soups.
The analysis found that across all nine categories combined, there was no difference in sodium content between products introduced before and after 2021. In four categories—dry soups, popcorn, bread and bread products, and corn-based snacks—sodium levels were actually higher in post-2021 introductions.
“These findings add to a substantial body of evidence that voluntary, non-binding targets are a less effective approach to meaningfully reduce the sodium content of the food supply,” said Matti Marklund, PhD, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and senior author of the study. “The available evidence, including our analysis, suggests that future efforts need stronger accountability mechanisms such as mandatory sodium targets with financial consequences for non-compliance.”
The study used data from the Mintel Global New Product Database but did not capture all items available on store shelves or assess individual consumption patterns. The researchers noted that while consumers can take steps such as cooking at home or reading nutrition labels to reduce their own intake of sodium from prepared foods or restaurant meals—which are leading contributors to excess consumption—stronger policies are needed for broader public health improvements.
The FDA introduced Phase II sodium reduction targets in August 2024 and is expected to issue a formal evaluation of Phase I later this year.
