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Has the Sodium Content of US Households’ Packaged Food and Beverage Purchases Improved in the Past 15 Years?
Author(s) -
Poti Jennifer M,
Dunford Elizabeth,
Popkin Barry M
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.429.6
Subject(s) - sodium , food science , convenience food , business , toxicology , agricultural science , chemistry , environmental science , biology , organic chemistry
Background Despite recent US initiatives to reduce the sodium content of packaged foods, corresponding changes in the sodium content of households’ food and beverage purchases have not been evaluated. Objectives Our objectives were to evaluate 15‐year trends in the amount of sodium (mg/d per person) in US households’ store‐bought consumer packaged goods (CPGs) purchases, top sources of sodium for household purchases, and the sodium content of food purchases. Methods We analyzed data from the 2000–2013 Homescan panel, a nationwide longitudinal study of US households (n=164,084; 706,970 year‐level observations) that record all CPG foods and beverages purchased from retail food stores throughout the year. Barcodes were linked to corresponding Nutrition Facts Panels for over 1.2 million unique barcoded products, in order to utilize time‐varying brand and product‐specific nutrition information. Multivariable‐adjusted longitudinal linear and logistic random effects models were used to examine sodium trends while controlling for changes in the distribution of sociodemographic factors in the US. Results Adjusted mean total sodium in households’ grocery store purchases significantly decreased from 2351 to 1992 mg/d per person between 2000 and 2013 (β = −358 mg/d, 95% CI: −373, −344), with significant declines beginning in 2006. Many of the top sources of sodium in households’ CPG purchases contributed to this decline, notably breads (−63 mg/d), condiments and sauces (−58 mg/d), and salty snacks (−46 mg/d). However, the contribution from other top sources, such as prepared meals/mixed dishes (204 mg/d), processed meat (129 mg/d), and cheese (110 mg/d), increased or experienced little change (<10mg/d). The overall sodium content of packaged food purchases significantly declined from 471 mg/100g in 2000 to 416 mg/100g in 2013 (β = −55 mg/100g, 95% CI: −57, −53). Nonetheless, in all years between 2000–2013, >97% of US households had total food and beverage CPG purchases that exceeded the Dietary Guidelines for Americans upper limit of 2300 mg sodium per 2000 kcal. Conclusions Despite improvements in the past 15 years, the sodium content of the CPG products that Americans purchase remains high. The majority of US households have CPG food and beverage purchases that do not meet sodium recommendations. Our findings can help identify areas where future reformulations and efforts to shift consumer product selection can have the greatest impact. Ongoing monitoring of household purchases is needed to evaluate sodium reduction initiatives in the US. Support or Funding Information Funding for this study comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Grants 67506, 68793, 70017, 71837), NIH (R01DK098072), and the CPC 5 R24 HD050924.