Food companies are working diligently to lower the amount of salt in their products without risking current flavor profiles, but the task has been an arduous one. Yet, there might be an elegant way out. With the recent marketing of regional sea salts for commercial use, companies may be able to maintain or even improve flavor notes and increase mineral content while lowering total sodium content.
The Mayo Clinic estimates that 77 percent of the salt in the average American diet comes from prepared or processed foods, and the American Medical Association has called on the FDA to regulate the amount of salt in processed products. But controversy over whether salt is saintly or wicked is not new, and in fact, a certain amount of salt in the diet is good. The National Academy of Sciences' institute of Medicine recommends an average daily sodium intake of 1,500 to 2,400 milligrams for healthy adults.
What is new is that today's consumers are much more aware of the health impact and origin of foods. As the focus has shifted to consuming products containing natural ingredients and minimal processing, salt has once again come under tremendous scrutiny. Yet, it appears consumers have recognized that salt is more than just a familiar scapegoat for increases in the incidence of hypertension and disease. They are discovering that not all salt is created equal.
Back to Basics
Salt comes in three basic forms: refined, unrefined and iodized. Refined salt most often comes from rock salt and loses most of its minerals during processing, which results in almost pure sodium chloride. Unrefined salt usually comes from seawater, but in some cases it can be obtained from rock salt. Iodized salt is typically sodium chloride that has been processed with potassium iodide for nutrient fortification. Many iodized salts may also contain anti-caking agents.
Though, there is no evidence that the additives in table salt are harmful, people who favor foods with fewer additives often prefer sea salt, which contain minerals that iodized table salt does not contain, such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, sulfate, and traces of heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and cadmium, as well as strontium. The mineral content varies by region, but the result is that it contains about 40 percent to as much as 57 percent less sodium than traditional refined salt. "Sea salt is not a fad," says Mark Zoske, founder of SaltWorks, Inc., which distributes premium salts to wholesale and consumer markets. "Its use is a paradigm shift. Consumers do not want refined salts in their food, and more manufacturers are getting that message loud and clear."
Is Nature the New Technology?
Food companies are marketing products with unrefined sea salt in response to consumer demand for more natural products. Sea salt is among the natural ingredients included in Clif Mojo Bars introduced in May 2008. Also in May 2008, Whole Foods Market launched a mushroom soup featuring this ingredient. Soy Dream uses sea salt in its frozen non-dairy products, and Amy's Kitchen, Stouffer's and McCormick's sell products containing sea salt as well.
Even more appealing are unrefined regional sea salts. They offer the minerals specific to the location of origin and pair perfectly with regional dishes. With as many as 30 naturally occurring mineral components, regional sea salts offer variety to discerning consumers. Saltworks' Zoske says that each of the 30-plus sea salt varieties his company carries has a unique color, mineral makeup, density, crystalline structure, and flavor. "Average table salt can add a predictable tang to a meal-natural sea salt can transform the taste of a dish, conjuring up subtle flavors and bold connotations."
Lifting the Shroud of Uncertainty
What still eludes many manufacturers is how to pair sea salt properly with their products for optimum flavor and sodium reduction. Although the preferences of individuals differ, a few basic guidelines are helpful.
More delicately flavored salts go well with vegetables and certain proteins. For example, Artisan Salt's Fumee de Sel. Alae Hawaiian Sea Salt, contains Alae clay which is full of iron oxide and has a moderately mild taste. The flavor allows for a wide application of optimal combinations including fish, poultry and beef products. The Salish Smoked Salt, an organic pacific sea salt, is a bit bolder with its flavor enhancement. This ingredient goes best with products aimed at more robust flavoring such as red meats, potatoes, salmon and cream based sauces. Another very distinct salt is Indian Black Salt which pairs very well with vegan ingredients; quite uniquely it imparts a natural egg flavor to products. Artisan Salt offers these products and others from their line to Food & Beverage companies in bags ranging anywhere from 5 pounds to 100 pounds and up.
Several large manufacturers have already taken advantage of regional and specialty sea salts to enhance the healthfulness of products. For example, the Schwan Food Company is working with Ocean's Flavor Sea Salt to incorporate regional sea salts in its product lines, and Heinz offers a Beef Taquitos product that uses smoked sea salt.
Moving Toward the Future
Other companies are adding ingredients such as bamboo, spices, and herbs to sea salt. For example, Academia Barilla introduced two flavors, Italian blood oranges and Italian black olives, to its Natural Sea Salt product line. "Sea salt is one of the fastest-growing segments of the gourmet food industry. Consumer trends indicate the gourmet sea salt market is here to stay," SaltWorks' Zoske explains. "Once you start using sea salt, you can never go back. Consumers are looking for healthier gourmet sea salt to purchase and use at home, and they are demanding that manufacturers use natural sea salt in their products."
This is an untapped market that savvy food companies are starting to explore, and the industry as a whole is beginning to truly appreciate how region-specific salts complete food and beverage products. As proposed by Alan Fisher, president of the natural salt distributor Ocean's Flavor, the question remains, "Why use a fake chemically produced salt substitute when you can use a natural environmentally produced less sodium sea salt?"