Sodium Content of Processed Foods Available in the Mexican Market

Abstract

Background: Sodium intake is related to several adverse health outcomes, such as hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Processed foods are major contributors to the population's sodium intake. The aim of the present study was to determine sodium levels in Mexican packaged foods, as well as to evaluate the proportion of foods that comply with sodium benchmark targets set by the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency (UK FSA) and those set by the Mexican Commission for the Protection of Health Risks (COFEPRIS). We also evaluated the proportion of foods that exceeded the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) targets.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that comprised data collected from the package of 2248 processed foods from selected supermarkets in Mexico.

Results: Many processed food categories contained an excessive amount of sodium. Processed meats, ham, bacon and sausages, had the highest concentrations. The proportion of foods classified as compliant in our sample was lower for international targets (FSA UK and PAHO) compared to the Mexican COFEPRIS criteria.

Conclusions: These data provided a critical baseline assessment for monitoring sodium levels in Mexican processed foods.

Keywords: diet; food industry; sodium; sodium targets.

Figure 1

(a) Proportion of packaged foods meeting and exceeding the Food Standard Agency (FSA) sodium benchmark targets. (b) Proportion of packaged foods meeting and exceeding the Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS by its acronym in Spanish) sodium targets (n = 2248).