By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Just in time for Thanksgiving, Butterball and five other major food producers have joined the city's war on salt, the Health Department announced Tuesday.
The companies, including Hostess, pretzelmaker Snyder's of Hanover and the turkey giant, have vowed to slash salt across their product lines as part of an effort to reduce Americans' salt consumption by 20 percent over the next five years.
"Reducing salt intake has been a public health priority for decades," New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said in a statement.
"Thanks to these food manufacturers and the NSRI’s 50-plus partners, the initiative truly has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives each year that otherwise would be lost to cardiovascular disease."
The average adult consumes about twice the daily recommended limit of 1,500 mg of sodium — the vast majority of which comes from packaged products and restaurant meals.
"We look forward to continuing to offer better-for-you turkey products for consumers, whether they are cooking bacon for breakfast or enjoying a whole turkey for Thanksgiving,” Butterball spokeswomen Kari Lindell said in a statement.
The effort is part of an aggressive war against salt being waged by City Hall. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the initiative's first 16 company partners, including Boar's Head, Starbucks and Subway, in April.
Earlier this month, the city launched a new ad campaign urging residents to cut out salt. One poster features the image of mounds of salt spilling out of a soup can.
"Too much salt can lead to heart attack and stroke," the ad warns.
Bloomberg is also set to appear on an episode of the syndicated show The Doctors Wednesday morning to discuss the city's efforts.
