Menu Trends: Steps Toward Lower Sodium
Salt has always been an easy flavoring strategy at restaurant chains. Culinary Institute of America's Greg Drescher challenges menu developers to try alternatives and is working to help find solutions.
By David Farkas, Senior Editor -- Chain Leader, 9/16/2009 6:37:00 AM
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| Greg Drescher, executive director of strategic initiatives at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. |
| The Impact on Restaurants In addition to recommending ways to reduce salt in the American diet, Greg Drescher's committee is studying the impact such actions will have on consumers. Here are four aspects of its work that have broad implications for the restaurant industry:
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Although Greg Drescher won't offer specifics about the sodium reduction project he's working on for the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine, he does say that "science on sodium has clearly gotten stronger," and "we now need some strategies to reduce [its levels]." Those strategies are likely to be part of the project report, due out next February.
The implications for restaurant chains, whose sodium-rich offerings have come under fire from nutrition advocates, are vast. Chain Leader asked Drescher, executive director of strategic initiatives the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, what operators can do to trim salt from their menus.
First, what's the government's point of view?
I'm on a congressionally mandated panel that reflects a view on the part of Congress that whatever we have tried to date [to lower sodium levels in food] hasn't been working. Now we need some strategies to reduce sodium. This is important for the restaurant industry to understand. We've known we have needed to reduce sodium for 30 or more years.
Why haven't we been able to?
Salt has been used over time to preserve and flavor foods. It has a vital technical quality in the production of hams, cured meats, cheeses and breads. So we understand its role in the food supply, and any effort to reduce sodium will need to take into account its functionality. No one is suggesting that this will be easy.
Any lessons to be learned from the trans-fat issue?
Lowering sodium is different from eliminating trans-fats. It was easy to identify their functionality and, in general, find a suitable replacement. Sodium is going to be harder. But it is the view of Congress and of many other agencies that we need new thinking on this.
What can operators do?
Prior to the Institute of Medicine report coming out, what menu-makers need to do is look at [the government's] dietary guidelines and see where their products and menus fit within those parameters. They can start to look for opportunities to reduce sodium. Clearly, foodservice will have to be part of the solution along with the retail sector and what individuals do on their own.
Aren't low-sodium menu items a tough sell?
The difference is to distinguish between low-sodium and labeling something as healthy. Our industry has come to realize that we have to be very careful about labeling something as healthy because it often sends people in the other direction. We have seen this with special sections or heart labeling or heart healthy; some people have had success with that, but many others have not. What I am hearing about now is "stealth health." It's working on nutritional issues and not talking about it. Otherwise, you unnecessarily unnerve your customers by making them think you're taking away good food.
Examples of companies doing this?
The National Restaurant Association has told me about a number of companies that are working with them to reduce sodium levels. And [the companies] are not talking about it because they don't want to alarm their customers that their food isn't going to taste good.
By the way, we are not talking about food without salt but food with less salt. So where we can end up on the level of sodium is less important than where those opportunities to reduce sodium are.
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Where, for instance, are the opportunities?
All produce is naturally low-sodium. There are many foods that are examples of solutions. What am I going to do about that slice of cheese? The question can also be: What are other types of foods I can use in menu development?
Do you believe the industry has the expertise to accomplish this?
It will have to be a concerted effort across the industry that goes on for many years. Look at what we have done over the last 15 years to make a wider range of offerings that focus less on saturated fats. I don't think anyone is making light of the fact it will be lots of work.
Any final advice for operators?
People need to look at the full range of food options naturally low in sodium, as well as considering ideas on flavorings from other cultures. There is really a lot we can do. Salt has always been an easy strategy for flavor, and it has worked for us. And now it will be a challenge to make some changes. But there are lots of tools in the tool kit and we will have to learn to use them as an industry.
| Lower Sodium Could Mean Lower Health-Care Costs If Americans consumed the recommended daily maximum of 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, the country could trim almost $18 billion in health-care costs and reduce hypertension cases by 11 million, according to a Rand Corporation study. Reducing sodium even further, to 1,500 milligrams a day, could decrease health-care costs by $26 billion.
*Average sodium intake of representative sample of adults. Source: "Potential Societal Savings from Reduced Sodium Consumption in the U.S. Adult Population," 2005, Rand Corp. |
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salt is what we make of it. Sea salt should be used more and processed iodized salt less. herbal mixtures enhance flavors but salt is the go to item for most people to bring out the flavor. If we reduce salt we should also make MSG an illeagal substance for food as it will replace salt in many dishes and is far worse than salt for many people. As a CIA graduate with 35 years in the business I agree that telling folks "something is better for them" won't make them buy it. I do think the place to start is not in the business of selling cooked food at resteraunts but the business of packaged food such as all those easy meals and frozen entrees that so many people are now using at home because they don't have time to cook at home. Going out to eat should still be the way to get the best tasting food around and perhaps going out will become more of a special occasion rather than the easy way to get a meal. If going out to dinner is a special meal then the taste is very important and perhaps it is not the time to count calories or salt but to enjoy what professionals can do that can not be done in the home. Count those calories and watch what you eat at home and enjoy that meal when you eat out and realize it is not the healthiest but the best tasting and gives great satisfaction. balance is the key.
Teaching young folks to make healthy choices at home and at school is the way to create change. School lunches should be healthy only. By this I mean no pizza and soda and candy bars from a vending machine. Low salt food in schools would be a good way to start. Low fat would be good as well. Certainly all schools should teach cooking and health nutrition to their students as part of a balanced curriculum of life skills and book smarts. I work at a college level food service and the choices the students make are not good most of the time. Where did they learn these bad habits? Probably not at fine dining establishments I would guess.
Charlie Krause - 2009-17-9 11:29:00 MDT -
It's good to see the chains addressing the sodium
issue. My brother in law, because of a cardiac issue,
has no choice but to eat low sodium!
The FitMenu (www.fitmenu.net ) healthy dining program I
founded allows searching restaurant meals by sodium
content (among other things) to address this.
It's time more restaurants stepped up to the plate to
address the various health needs people have with
complete nutrition data on at least a few selected,
healthier items.
Chris McNeil - 2009-16-9 16:15:00 MDT -
Well, that article was a waste. It said very little and made no suggestions! I think by now we all know overdoing salt isn't good! So, thanks for clearing that up!
Paul A. Teseny - 2009-16-9 13:53:00 MDT
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