In a controversial break from the rest of the food industry, the world’s largest food company has voiced support for a White House-backed initiative that seeks to set voluntary sodium reduction targets for major food companies, according to Quartz, a website that describes itself as a guide to the new global economy for people in business who are excited by change.
Nestlé is supporting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) effort to get food makers to decrease the amount of sodium Americans eat. The company is also reaching out to members of the U.S. Congress who could otherwise stymie the initiative by blocking funding, sources say.
The reduction effort comes as part of a larger White House initiative to combat chronic health problems rampant in the U.S., including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.
By supporting the FDA initiative, Nestlé is breaking from its fellow members of a powerful food industry alliance. The Grocery Manufacturers Association has lobbied against the FDA setting targets until after two other government bodies—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Institute of Medicine—have completed their own studies.
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