National Salt Reduction Initiative -
Statement of Commitment by Health Organizations and Public Agencies
High blood pressure – a common result of excessive salt intake – causes cardiovascular disease, the nation's leading cause of death. Lowering blood pressure saves lives, and reducing salt intake lowers blood pressure.
Reducing the amount of salt people consume requires action by individuals, governments and the private sector. Individuals can monitor and reduce their own intake. However, even highly motivated individuals find it difficult to adequately reduce their salt intake in the presence of the amounts added in manufacturing and preparation. Health organizations, including government agencies, can provide leadership and guidance and can raise awareness of the health benefits of lowering salt intake. The private sector can reduce the amount of salt in processed and restaurant foods – the main sources of salt in our diet – by reformulating its products.
Reducing salt intake has been a public health priority for decades. The FDA's 1982 Dietary Sodium Initiative called on the food industry to voluntarily reduce sodium levels in processed foods, yet sodium intake has continued to rise. By the year 2000, men were consuming 48% more salt than they did in the early 1970s, and women were consuming 69% more. Gradual, but substantive, measurable reductions in the salt content of processed and restaurant foods must be achieved to improve public health and reduce the population risk of cardiovascular disease.
The undersigned agencies and organizations are committed to work toward the goal of reducing population salt intake by at least 20% over five years by setting targets and monitoring progress through a transparent, public process.
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Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
American College of Cardiology
American College of Epidemiology
American Dietetic Association
American Heart Association
American Medical Association
American Public Health Association
American Society of Hypertension
Arizona Department of Health Services
Arkansas Department of Health
Association of Black Cardiologists
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Baltimore City Health Department
Boston Public Health Commission
Broome County Health Department
California Department of Public Health
California Conference of Local Health Officers
Cambridge Public Health Department
Chicago Department of Public Health
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Consumers Union
Cook County Department of Public Health
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency
Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health
District of Columbia Department of Health
Hawaii State Department of Health
Houston Department of Health and Human Services
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program
InterAmerican Heart Foundation
International Society of Hypertension in Blacks
Kaiser Permanente
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Maricopa County Department of Public Health
Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Michigan Department of Community Health
Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support
Minnesota Department of Health
Mississippi State Department of Health
Mississippi Task Force on Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
National Association of County and City Health Officials
National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
National Hispanic Medical Association
National Kidney Foundation
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health Services
New Jersey Department of Health & Senior Services
New Mexico Department of Health
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
New York State Chapter, American College of Cardiology
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
New York State Department of Health
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health
North Dakota Department of Health
Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium
Northwest Kidney Centers
Ohio Department of Health
Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Philadelphia Department of Public Health
Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association
Public Health, Seattle and King County
Rhode Island Department of Health
Salt Lake Valley Health Department
Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency - Public Health
Society for the Analysis of African-American Public Health Issues
South Dakota Department of Health
Summit County Health Department
Tennessee Department of Health
Texas Medical Association
Utah Department of Health
Washington State Department of Health
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Public Health
Wisconsin Heart Disease and Stroke Alliance
World Hypertension League
*Signatories as of November 7, 2011; more organizations may sign on in the coming months.
