Trump eyes NAFTA talks to pay for Mexico border wall: Sodium Debate Rages On

Politico’s Morning Agriculture discusses the FDA’s voluntary sodium reduction plan with Michelle Minton. 

As the fate of the FDA’s voluntary sodium reduction strategy remains in question in the earliest days of the Trump administration, the debate over the science backing sodium reduction shows no signs of abating.

Earlier this week, a report released by the Competitive Enterprise Institute argued that the conventional wisdom that cutting sodium is good for public health is not backed by science. The conservative think tank contends that dialing back sodium across the food supply is simply not the right approach to blood-pressure reduction. CEI urged the government to come up with strategies that will benefit most Americans and are “based on robust scientific evidence, not unsubstantiated theories and assumptions.”

The report comes after FDA released long-awaited, controversial draft voluntary sodium targets last summer, setting goals for cutting salt over the short- and long-term. Agency officials had said they wanted to finalize at least short-term targets before the end of the Obama administration, but the guidance remains in draft form.

Read the full article at Politico’s Morning Agriculture.