Watch that salt

The Daily Gazette, Schenectady, N.Y.: One week after the federal Institute of Medicine issued a report advocating mandatory limits for sodium content in processed food and restaurant meals, 16 food processors announced plans to make such reductions voluntarily. It was welcome news and one can only hope the start of a trend that will spread throughout the industry.

Americans have way too much salt in their diet, and in most cases it’s not even their own doing. Moreover, they don’t even know it — until their doctor whistles them for high blood pressure, which can lead to stroke and cardiovascular disease.

That’s because food processors and restaurant chefs think it’s the only way consumers will like their food, and when they put the salt in, it’s not always detectable.