Salt
Also known as: table salt, common salt, cooking salt, dry salt, edible salt
Universally permitted as GRAS; per-product severity is `low_concern` because excess sodium is a TOTAL-INTAKE concern best handled by per-product nutriment scoring rather than ingredient-level flagging. WHO recommends <2000 mg sodium/day (~5 g salt).
What it is
Sodium chloride (NaCl), a crystalline mineral compound composed of roughly 40% sodium and 60% chloride by mass.
Flavor enhancer, preservative, fermentation moderator, and texture/structure modifier in baked goods, cured meats, and cheeses.
Why it's flagged
- dietary excess raises blood pressure
- WHO links ~1.89M deaths/year globally to high sodium intake
- increases risk of stroke, gastric cancer, and kidney disease at chronic high intake
What regulators actually say
"The primary health effect associated with diets high in sodium is raised blood pressure which increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, gastric cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, Meniere's disease, and kidney disease."
"An estimated 1.89 million deaths each year are associated with consuming too much sodium."
Regulatory status
United States — FDA
GRAS
European Union — EFSA
permitted, no ADI
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