Changes in the Sodium Content of Foods Sold in Four Latin American Countries: 2015 to 2018.

Adriana Blanco-Metzler,Mary R L’Abbé,Leila Guarnieri,Rodrigo Burgos Larroza,Luciana Castronuovo,Beatriz Franco-Arellano,Lorena Allemandi,Bridve Sivakumar,Lorena Saavedra-Garcia,Guillermo Sequera Buzarquis,Karla Benavides-Aguilar,Alyssa Schermel,Madyson Weippert,Victoria Tiscornia,Mayra Meza-Hernández,Jaritza Vega-Solano,Felicia Cañete Villalba,Joanne Arcand

doi:10.3390/nu13114108

Abstract

In 2015, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) published sodium targets for packaged foods, which included two distinct levels: one “regional” and one “lower” target. Changes to the sodium content of the food supply in Latin American Countries (LAC) has not been evaluated. A repeated cross-sectional study used food label data from 2015 (n = 3859) and 2018 (n = 5312) to determine changes in the proportion of packaged foods meeting the PAHO sodium targets and the distribution in the sodium content of foods in four LAC (Argentina, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Peru). Foods were classified into the 18 food categories in the PAHO targets. The proportion of foods meeting the regional targets increased from 82.9% to 89.3% between 2015 and 2018 (p < 0.001). Overall, 44.4% of categories had significant decreases in mean sodium content. Categories with a higher proportion of foods meeting the regional and lower targets in 2018 compared to 2015 (p < 0.05) were breaded meat and poultry, wet and dry soups, snacks, cakes, bread products, flavored cookies and crackers, and dry pasta and noodles. While positive progress has been made in reducing the sodium content of foods in LAC, sodium intakes in the region remain high. More stringent targets are required to support sodium reduction in LAC.

Highlights

Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Latin American Countries (LAC) [1,2].In LAC, up to 40% of the adult population has hypertension, accounting for one in five deaths [2,3,4,5]
In 2018, four categories exceeded 100% variability in sodium content: pasta and noodles, dry uncooked (321%), with the other four categories being cookies and sweet cookies (183%), seasonings for side and main dishes (136%), and cured and preserved meats (111.6%) (Table 2). This is the most comprehensive analysis that has monitored the changes in the sodium content of packaged food in the Latin American region, including progress in meeting the 2015 Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) regional sodium reduction targets
The proportion of packaged foods meeting the 2015 regional targets significantly increased from 82.9% to 89.3% for 2015 and 2018

Summary

Introduction

Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Latin American Countries (LAC) [1,2].In LAC, up to 40% of the adult population has hypertension, accounting for one in five deaths [2,3,4,5]. Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Latin American Countries (LAC) [1,2]. Excess sodium consumption increases blood pressure and subsequent risk of hypertension, CVD, stroke, and kidney disease [7,8]. Estimated mean daily sodium intake is 4480 mg in Argentina [14], 4600 mg in Costa Rica [15], 5480 mg in Paraguay [16], and 4400 mg in Peru [17]. In Costa Rica, discretionary salt contributes to 60% of sodium intake in the diet, while 27% comes from packaged foods and condiments; over time there has been an increasing trend in the amount of sodium derived from packaged and prepared foods [15]

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