Nestlé Commitment: Reduce Sodium in our Products

Between 2013 and 2016 – Reduce salt content by an average of 10% from 2012 levels in all relevant products that do not meet the NNF criteria for salt.

STOUFFER’S® and LEAN CUISINE® meals contain an average of 800 mg and 600 mg respectively, as a result of our steady work to reduce sodium in our products. We’re reducing sodium in existing products that exceed our NNF criteria for sodium and ensuring that new products are less than or equal to the criteria.

100% of children’s products met NNF sodium criteria. Children’s products are products for which 50% or more of consumers are below 12 years old, or are designed for or perceived as being designed for this age group.

Sodium is an essential mineral, but too much of the salt in our diet comes from what’s added during manufacturing, home cooking or at the table. Our Policy on Sodium targets reduction of sodium content by an average of at least 10% from 2012 levels during a four-year period (2013–2016) in foods and beverages that do not meet the NNF criteria for sodium. However, reducing the salt content in some products poses a technical challenge. Besides seasoning, salt is important for food preservation and texture.

Nestlé is continuously innovating to improve the flavor and nutritional profile of our foods and beverages by featuring positive nutrients and ingredients; gradually reducing sodium; and helping consumers adapt their taste preferences toward a healthier diet.

Our efforts to reduce sodium and other nutrients of public health concern are grounded in rigorous criteria established by the Nestlé Nutritional Foundation. These criteria reflect nutrition science and public health recommendations established by the world’s leading health and medical authorities.

Nestlé Nutritional Profiling System
Nestlé Policy on Sodium

Notes: Relevant products means to exclude exemptions (Nestlé Nutrition, Nestlé Health Science, Nestlé Professional, Nestlé Purina Petcare, plain water/coffee/tea, Confectionery gifting, Culinary free-dosing and table-top seasonings, and products designed for children below four years of age as other legal considerations are relevant) and where regulations are not allowed.The Nestlé Nutritional Foundation criteria are based on nutrition science and public health dietary recommendations, such as those of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Institute of Medicine and other global or U.S. authorities, such as the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Our products are evaluated against these criteria, using the Nestlé Nutritional Profiling System, which determines their nutritional value and whether they achieve the Nestlé Nutritional Foundation status.

Learn more about the Nestlé in the U.S. 2014 Creating Shared Value report.