"Ladies and gentlemen, you heard it here first. Sodium will be one of the next consumer hot buttons," said Anne Berlack, executive v.p., Information Resources Inc., Chicago, when she spoke at the SmartMarketing meeting on March 17 in Atlanta. "We've gone through counting fat and carbohydrate grams in pursuit of healthier lifestyles and better overall wellness. With that comes a return to keeping sodium intake levels low, as sodium intake is correlated to hypertension and heart health."
Indeed, many anticipate that sodium will be the next nutrient to be labeled taboo. Unfortunately for the dairy industry, cheese is among the leading classes of foods in terms of sodium contribution to the diet, rendering cheese a perfect target for the anticipated "lowering salt" movement. However, before you start cutting back on the salt added to the cheeses your company manufactures, take note that salt plays a very important role in cheesemaking. And, in response to Berlack's projection, cheesemakers might simply need to educate consumers that a healthy diet does not exclude cheese. The key is moderation.