The Food and Drug Administration issued a news release today saying that a news report claiming it had begun the process of regulating the amount of sodium in foods was inaccurate. This was in response to a "Washington Post" front page story reporting that FDA was about to announce the first-ever legal limits to the amount of sodium allowed in food in a effort to gradually reduce the amount of salt consumed by Americans for health reasons.

"The FDA is not currently working on regulations nor have they made a decision to regulate sodium content in foods at this time," the FDA release stated.

The release noted that FDA plans to review the recommendations contained in an Institute of Medicine's report on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States, which is expected to be released tomorrow.

Read the FDA news release here.

For more information, contact Cary Frye, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs, at (202) 220-3543 or Michelle Matto, IDFA assistant director of nutrition and labeling, at (202) 220-3523.