WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration announced it will hold a hearing late next month to consider a petition asking government regulators to review sodium content in processed foods. The Center for Science in the Public Interest in 2005 began highlighting excessive sodium in many foods, issuing reports and urging the FDA to place limits on sodium content and also require manufacturers to add information on packages. Last year, the movement gained momentum when the American Medical Association joined CSPI in calling on the agency to revoke the “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, status of sodium. The doctor’s group also challenged manufacturers to reduce sodium content in their foods by at least 50% within the next decade. Currently the government’s dietary guidelines for sodium suggest a maximum daily intake of no more than 2,300 milligrams.

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