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The Cause of Illness that Left 200 Sick has Been Determined For food industry leaders, a meeting worth its salt Source of Article: http://www.news.wisc.edu/15913 Nov. 5, 2008 It's no secret that Americans eat too much salt,
a habit linked to numerous health problems. At first glance, the solution
seems simple: stop eating so much of the stuff. But, as it turns out, salt-a.k.a.
sodium chloride-can't easily be cut from the American diet. It is a key
preservative, one that has been used for thousands of years to combat the
growth of pathogenic microbes in foods. Now as much as ever, we rely on it to
keep our processed, ready-to-eat meals safe. Despite the challenges, food companies are
interested in finding alternatives to salt that won't compromise food safety.
For these industry leaders, the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Food Research
Institute (FRI) is convening a daylong conference on Nov. 6 titled
"Sodium Reduction and Its Effect on Food Safety, Food Quality and Human
Health," which will feature a balanced discussion on salt's role in
health and food safety, and an update on alternatives. Representatives from more than 20 food and
ingredient companies are registered, including Kraft, Sara Lee, Johnsonville,
Sargento, Schreiber, and Morton, as well as
numerous professionals from the nutrition and health care fields. "This is a chance to educate product
developers about alternatives to sodium chloride. It's also an opportunity to
let nutritionists know where (the food industry's) hands are tied," says
Kathy Glass, associate director of the
Food Research Institute. Glass, who helped organize the meeting, will
present her research findings there. She assesses the ability of traditional
food preservatives and spice extracts to replace some of the salt added to
processed meat products. Currently, she is collaborating with scientists at
the UW-Madison's Meat and Muscle Biology Laboratory to
develop and test meat products incorporating these alternative preservatives. The conference will feature other UW-Madison
experts, including Mark Johnson, a food science professor; Chuck Kaspar, a bacteriology professor and FRI investigator;
Karen Kritsch, a clinical nutritionist at the UW
Hospital and Clinics; Andy Milkowski, an adjunct
professor in the animal science department; and Gail Underbakke,
a nutrition coordinator at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. |
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