The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a final guidance, Use of an Alternate Name for Potassium Chloride in Food Labeling, to advise food manufacturers that it intends to use "potassium salt" in the ingredient statement on food labels, instead of "potassium chloride." The intention of this is to better inform consumers that the mentioned ingredient is a salt substitute.
This guidance is part of the FDA's Nutrition Innovation Strategy to reduce chronic disease in the U.S. through improved nutrition, and by making sure consumers are informed. It also will support and foster industry innovation to develop and promote healthy food options.
Changes to the final guidance from the original draft include providing guidance on the use of the name "potassium salt," versus "potassium chloride salt," for potassium chloride.
Potassium chloride can sometimes be used as a partial substitute for sodium chloride—referred to as "salt"—in food processing. By providing this distinction, consumers can now be informed enough to decrease their sodium consumption, if they so choose, and if manufacturers had been using potassium chloride as a substitute ingredient for sodium chloride.
The U.S. population already overconsumes sodium, according to information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and does not consume enough potassium. Increased blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and too much sodium can raise blood pressure for consumers.