Evaluation of Sodium Levels in Hospital Patient Menus

Population-wide sodium reduction is a public health priority to address chronic diseases associated with excess sodium consumption. For such strategies to be effective, sodium reduction will need to occur in every segment of the food supply, including foods sold in grocery stores and restaurants as well as food served in public institutions such as hospitals. Guidelines for lowering sodium levels in hospital settings have recently been published but largely focus on consumer food service outlets rather than on foods served to inpatients. There are few published data describing sodium levels in hospital patient menus and determining whether these levels fall within recommended guidelines. The objectives of this study were to quantify the amount of sodium in commonly prescribed hospital patient menus and to determine whether these levels are in agreement with established sodium recommendations. [J. Arcand, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2012;():1-2. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2012.2368]