• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.537-548
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: South Korea has been conducting the Sodium Reduction Restaurant Project since 2015 to reduce sodium contents in restaurant menus. The purpose of this study was to analyze changes in the sodium content of menus as determined by the Daegu Sodium Reduction Restaurant Project between 2015 and 2019. MATERIALS/METHODS: Intervention was aimed at reducing the sodium contents of over 10% of menu items in participating restaurants. On-site inspections and evaluations were conducted using a checklist, and reductions in sodium contents were determined by analyzing the salinities and sodium contents of menus after intervention. RESULTS: Post-intervention salinities and sodium contents were significantly lower than baseline values in 2016 (P < 0.001), 2017 (P < 0.001), 2018 (P < 0.001), and 2019 (P < 0.001). However, sodium contents and salinities differences before and after intervention were not significant in 2015. Sodium contents of more than 20% of menu items offered by restaurants that participated in the Sodium Reduction Restaurant Project for 2 yrs starting in 2016 declined by 28.9%. On the other hand, the sodium reduction rate achieved by restaurants that participated for 4 yrs from 2015 reached 55.4%. The percentage of restaurants that participated in the project increased annually, though some failed to be designated as Sodium Reduction Restaurants because they did not meet sodium reduction rate requirements. CONCLUSIONS: Positive correlations were found between duration of participation in the project and sodium reduction and designation rates. Sustainable long-term support at the national level is required to expand the project to other regions.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.132-146
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Various sodium reduction policies have been implemented. However, there are limitations in the aspect of actual field applicability and efficiency. For effective sodium reduction, cooperation with the field is required and consumer preference must be considered. Thus, this study aimed to develop a low-sodium burger considering field applicability and consumer preference. MATERIALS/METHODS: Focus group interviews and in-depth interviews on the sodium reduction measures were conducted with nine professionals in related fields to discuss practical methods for sodium reduction from September 7 to 21, 2018. By reflecting the interview results, a burger using a low-sodium sauce was developed, and preference analysis for sodium in the burger sauces and finished products was performed. The consumer preference for low-sodium burgers was evaluated on 51 college students on November 12, 2018. RESULTS: The results of the professional interview showed that it is desirable to practice sodium reduction gradually, and by reflecting this, the burger sauce was prepared by adjusting the ratio of refined salt to 15%, 30%, and 50%. The sodium content of the burger using low-sodium sauce was 399 mg/100 g in the control group, 362 mg/100 g in the H1 group, and 351.5 mg/100 g in the H2 group, showing a 9.3-11.9% decrease in sodium in the H1 and H2 groups. The preference evaluation on the low-sodium burgers showed a higher preference for burgers with 9.3-11.9% sodium reduction, which did not affect the overall taste. CONCLUSIONS: This study examined the potential for sodium reduction in the franchise foodservice industry. An approximate 10% sodium reduction resulted in an increase in consumer preference without affecting the strength of the taste. Thus, if applied gradually, sodium reduction at practical levels could increase the consumer preference without changing the taste or quality and could be applied in the franchise foodservice industry.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.812-825
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the importance and performance level of sodium reduction practices in school meal service by school nutrition teachers and dietitians, and compared them according to school level and placement of the school nutrition teacher. SUBJECTS/METHODS: An online survey was conducted with 608 nutrition teachers and dietitians in schools in the Republic of Korea from September 28 to November 12, 2021 (response rate: 57%). The questionnaire comprised 11 items related to sodium reduction practices (purchasing, food preparation and serving, and education). The importance and performance level of each item was rated on a 5-point scale. The mean differences were analyzed using t-tests or one-way analyses of variance and Duncan's post-hoc tests. An importance-performance analysis was performed on sodium reduction practices. RESULTS: Participating in sodium reduction education, sodium reduction education for cooks, and sodium reduction education for students were assessed to have high importance but low performance. Overall, the higher the school level, the lower was the importance level of sodium reduction practices. The performance in kindergartens and elementary schools was higher than that in middle and high schools. The importance in the purchasing category perceived by dietitians was lower as compared to nutrition teachers. In addition, the performance in the purchasing, food preparation and serving, and education categories perceived by dietitians was lower than those of nutrition teachers. CONCLUSION: Sodium reduction education for nutrition teachers and dietitians, cooks, and students should prioritize practicing sodium reduction in school meal service. Specific guidelines for managing sodium reduction at all stages-purchasing, food preparation, and serving-should also be developed. The results could be used as basic data to reduce the sodium content in school meals.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.386-395
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• 2020

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate sodium reduction practices in school foodservice in Daegu. Methods: The survey included 199 nutrition teachers and dietitians working at elementary, middle and high schools in Daegu. The survey topics included the following: the frequency of salinity measurement, workers in charge of the measurement, average salinity of the soup and stew served, frequency and difficulties of offering low-sodium meals, Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) of sodium reduction methods in school foodservice and the need for political support in encouraging sodium reduction. Results: The mean salinity of the soup and stew was higher in high school foodservice than in elementary and middle school foodservice. Middle and high schools have difficulties in offering low-sodium meals due to concerns of decreasing satisfaction for the meals. The results of the IPA of programs to reduce sodium in school meals showed that most of the items in the cooking and serving stages were in the 2nd quadrant (Keep up the good work), and all purchasing and menu planning stages occupied the 3rd quadrant (Low priority). To reduce sodium in school meals, government support is required in developing low-sodium recipes for school foodservice, encouraging education on sodium reduction for school foodservice officials and developing low-sodium food for institutional foodservice. Conclusions: To encourage sodium reduction in school meals, the priority is to make low-sodium recipes available. Also, it is necessary to develop a program that calculates the sodium content in menus and processed foods through National Education Information System and to establish standards for sodium levels in school foodservice.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.173-181
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• 2013

This study used survey data to identify the use of salimeters and the prevalence of sodium reduction education in the Gyeonggi region. A survey with 211 dietitians working in school foodservice (106 in elementary schools, 69 in middle schools, and 36 in high schools) was conducted from August 6 to August 17, 2012. The data were analyzed using the SPSS program. Though 86.6% of school kitchens had salimeters, the rate for checking the sodium content of soup or stew was just 62.7% and the rate for checking the sodium content of kimchi and solid food was very low. Since salimeters are mostly used to measure sodium in liquid foods, it is urgent to provide an education and manual on using salimeters and to promote salimetry for kimchi and side dishes. It is also important to provide students with nutritional information by clearly posting the sodium content of food on menus and compelling students to notice them. Sodium reduction education for cooks was conducted in the 70.3% of the kitchens; however, the dietitians perceived that the cooks did not understand the importance of the education. Also, sodium reduction education for students was mostly provided through indirect methods, rather than face-to-face education, resulting in poor educational data (only 36.4% comprehending). By providing detailed guidelines for sodium reduction and labelling accurate content of sodium of the menus, we will be able to enforce practices for sodium reduction in school lunches.

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.18-24
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• 2016

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is a very important as one of major food ingredients in food industries. Recently, as the potential risk of adult diseases such as hypertension by overingestion of sodium, health authorities of many countries are executing policies for the reduction of sodium to suppress the overingestion of sodium by intake of NaCl. As general ways, the replacement of NaCl with either alternative salts, such as solar salts and minerals, for examples calcium, magnesium, potassium, lactic acid, and so on, and the addition of flavor enhancers were used to reduce the contents of sodium in foods. Recently, controls of particle size of sodium chloride or release point are emerging as new salt-manufacturing technologies for the sodium reduction. Upon reducing NaCl in foods it is important to develop practically adaptable technologies on the basis of the consideration of the unique functions of NaCl in foods, in particular effects on rheological characters, function as a humectant, shorten shelf life time, and so on.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2022

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to compare the degree of sodium reduction practice and estimate sodium intake by salty food preference. Methods: Sodium reduction practices, salty food preferences and estimated sodium intake were surveyed for restaurant owners (n = 80), employees (n = 82) and customers (n = 727) at the restaurants participating in the sodium reduction project in Daegu, Korea. Estimated sodium intake was performed by examining sex, age, body mass index (BMI), salty eating habit and dietary behaviors. Results: The degree of sodium reduction practice was significantly higher in salinity meter use (P < 0.001), low salt seasonings (P < 0.001) and efforts to make the foods as bland as possible overall (P < 0.001) in the restaurants participating in sodium reduction project than in homes (P < 0.001). The degree of sodium reduction practice appeared lower in the high salty food preference group than in the low-preference group in such items as efforts to make the foods as bland as possible overall (P < 0.05) and washing the salty taste and then cooking (P < 0.05). The high-preference group showed high-salt dietary behavior, including eating all the soup until nothing was left (P < 0.05) more than the low-preference group, but low-salt dietary behavior included checking the sodium content in processed foods (P < 0 .0 5) less than the low-preference group. The high-preference group was higher in the soup and stew intake frequency than the low-preference group (P < 0.05) and much lower in nuts (P < 0.05) and fruits (P < 0.05) intake frequency. The high-preference group had a higher salty eating habit (P < 0.05), salty taste assessment (P < 0.05) and estimated sodium intake (P < 0.05) than the low-preference group. Conclusions: The present study showed that the salty food preference was strongly associated with lower sodium reduction practice and higher estimated sodium intake.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.626-643
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• 2013

This study was performed to evaluate the differences in blood pressure, sodium intake and dietary behavior changes according to the extent of session attendance on sodium reduction education program for pre-hypertensive adults in a public health center. Sodium reduction education program consisted of 8 sessions for 8 weeks. Fifty three patients who completed the pre and post nutritional assessments were classified into 2 groups according to the session attendance rate. Nineteen participants who attended the education program 3 times or less (${\leq}3$) were categorized into the less attendance (LA) group and 34 participants attended 4 times or more (${\geq}4$) into the more attendance (MA) group. Blood pressure, anthropometric measurements, serum lipid profile, nutrient intakes including sodium, nutrition knowledge and dietary behavior score were assessed before and after the nutrition education program. Mean sodium intakes (p<0.001), systolic/diastolic blood pressure (p<0.001), and weight (p<0.001) were significantly decreased in the MA group after sodium reduction education program. Compared to the MA group, mean sodium intakes, systolic/diastolic blood pressure were not significantly changed after the education program even with significantly increased nutrition knowledge (p<0.05) and dietary behavior score (p<0.01) in the LA group. It appears that pre-hypertensive adults need to attend the sodium reduction education program for at least 4 times or more to gain beneficial effects from the intervention. Positive feedback of healthcare team or offering more cooking classes may be needed to raise the attendance rate in the sodium reduction education program.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.222-232
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• 2016

Purpose: Sodium intake in school meals is very high. Accordingly, many health problems have emerged. The objective of this study was to assess school dietitian's awareness and practice of sodium contents in urban and rural locations schools and suggest sodium reduction plan in school meal service. Methods: A total of 524 nationwide school dietitians from elementary, middle, and high schools in south Korea were surveyed using questionnaires to determine their awareness and practicing behavior for reducing high-salt contents in meals. Sodium reduction plan was then suggested accordingly. Results: Most school dietitians (83%, n=436) were aware of the necessities of sodium reduction in school meals. They were aware of optimum sodium levels at 700-1000 mg. However, the percentages of dietitians who had practicing behavior of using measuring utensils for seasoning were 20.7% (n=108), 14.9% (n=78), and 13.5% (n=71) in elementary, middle, and high schools, respectively (p<0.001). Dietitians in urban elementary and middle schools had significantly (p<0.01) higher practicing behavior of using measuring utensils compared to those in rural locations. Considering low levels of soup contents with high amount of leftover, the desirable soup portions to be reduced were '50-100 mL' (n=66, 12.7%) for elementary school and '100-150 mL' for middle school (n=62, 12.0%) and high school (n=57, 11.0%, p<0.001). Conclusion: Dietitians' awareness for sodium reduction was high but their practicing behavior was relatively low. Thus, continuous efforts are required to develop reduced-sodium menu by promoting the use of measuring utensils when preparing meals and by planning no soup meal day or educating students and teachers about the importances of reducing sodium in school meals.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.174-182
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• 2014

This study compared total sodium amounts in 'Healthy Restaurant for Sodium Reduction' menu items located in Seoul, Chungcheong, and Gyeongsang in 2011 and 2012. In addition, this study explored reduced sodium cooking methods in 'Healthy Restaurant for Sodium Reduction'. This study monitored and collected menu samples from a total of 103 restaurants participating in 'Healthy Restaurant for Sodium Reduction' in 2011 and 2012. We also surveyed restaurant employees to identify reduced sodium cooking methods in 2012. The results showed significant reductions in total amounts of sodium in menu items of restaurants located in Seoul, Chungcheong, and Gyeongsang between 2011 ($310.8{\pm}156.8mg/100g$) and 2012 ($211.6{\pm}110.3mg/100g$). Amounts of sodium in all seven foodgroups showed significant reductions between 2011 and 2012: 'Gook/Tang' (from $226.6{\pm}127.7mg/100g$ to $168.5{\pm}74.3mg/100g$), 'Jjigae/Jeongol' (from $385.8{\pm}111.7mg/100g$ to $257.1{\pm}82.53mg/100g$), 'Noodle/Dumpling' (from $263.8{\pm}116.9mg/100g$ to $194.1{\pm}55.6mg/100g$), 'Gui' (from $390.3{\pm}120.6mg/100g$ to $258.8{\pm}92.7mg/100g$), 'Steamed dish' (from $305.3{\pm}124.3mg/100g$ to $175.6{\pm}76.6mg/100g$), 'Bob' (from $273.7{\pm}162.5mg/100g$ to $167.1{\pm}93.1mg/100g$), and 'Stir-fried dish' (from $368.6{\pm}116.6mg/100g$ to $219.0{\pm}72.4mg/100g$). The survey results showed that responses for 'Reducing salt amount' were 75.7%, responses for 'Using enchovy stock, shrimp, radish, or fruit soup' were 64.1%, and responses for 'Liking the taste because it is bland' were 50%. This study indicates that 'Healthy Restaurant for Sodium Reduction' nutrition policy was successful for reducing sodium contents of restaurant menu items, and also consumers were satisfied with the tastes.