Please pass the saltshaker

So after the fiasco in New York where a state legislator wanted to ban restaurants from using salt in their food, the Food and Drug Administration is working to set legal limits for how much salt can be in food. According to this Washington Post article, the FDA intends to slowly ratchet down these limits over time. Of course, unlike the substances that the FDA is supposed to regulate, salt is a necessary part of our lives.

The article has a great quote that highlights the nanny-ism that is becoming so increasingly prevalent in our society. "We can't just rely on the individual to do something," said Cheryl Anderson, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who served on the Institute of Medicine committee. "Food manufacturers have to reduce the amount of sodium in foods."

Translation: "People aren't doing what I want them to do, so we need to force them to do what I want."

Obviously, Ms. Anderson seems to overlook the fact that salt is an essential nutrient. When I come back from one of my forty mile bike rides, salty snacks are exactly what my body needs.

And most importantly, salt consumption is a matter of personal responsibility. It isn't the role of government to force individuals to be responsible. Instead, it should ensure that individuals have enough information so that responsible individuals can act on it.