BOX 1-1Statement of Task

The committee will review and make recommendations about various means that could be employed to reduce dietary sodium intake to levels recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The committee will consider a variety of options. These may include, but are not limited to, government approaches (regulatory and legislative actions), food supply approaches (new product development, food reformulation), and information/education strategies for the public and professionals. Attention will be given to opportunities for government and industry collaboration, along with input from health professionals, for the purposes of fostering innovation in this area. The committee will prepare a consensus report that (1) describes the state of actions to reduce sodium intake and factors to consider in sodium reduction strategies as learned from the committee’s review and considerations and (2) recommends actions (with rationale) for public and private stakeholders in order to achieve sodium intake consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The report will recommend options for long-term monitoring and identify research needs.