Wal-Mart says it will offer products that are healthier

 Walmart President and CEO Bill Simon and Michelle Obama

Wal-Mart has announced it will reformulate thousands of products to make them healthier and they want their suppliers to do the same.

Michelle Obama accompanied Wal-Mart executives Thursday as they announced the new direction in Washington.

Wal-Mart also plans to reduce sodium and added sugars in some items, build stores in poor areas that don't already have grocery stores, reduce prices on produce and develop a logo for healthier items.

"No family should have to choose between food that is healthier for them and food they can afford," said president and CEO of Wal-Mart's U.S. division.

Mrs. Obama said the announcement has "the potential to transform the marketplace and help Americans put healthier foods on their tables every single day."

"We are really gaining some momentum on this issue, we're beginning to see things move," she said.

Wal-Mart plans to reduce sodium by a quarter and cut added sugars in some of its private label products by 2015, that's 4 years from now.

They also have plans to remove remaining industrially produced trans fats.

Wal-Mart will focus on products like lunch meats, fruit juices and salad dressings, items that contain high levels of sugar or sodium that consumers don't know they're ingesting.

During the press conference Wednesday, Andrea Thomas, Wal-Mart's senior vice president of sustainability acknowledged those industry efforts but said,"Our goal is not to supplant these efforts, but to encourage their widespread adoption. We see our role as a convener and a catalyst. "

Honestly, we just want Wal-Mart to sell food and forget about being a convener or a catalyst.

Food makers say they want to reduce sodium a little at a time, so it will be more acceptable  to its customers. 

Most say they are waiting to see if the Food and Drug Administration decides to make reduction the law of the land. (so, yes, we agree with many of our readers, it's political)

Looking at the photo above, we just noticed something,  Walmart President and CEO Bill Simon looks like he just ate something that didn't agree with him.

PepsiCo Develops 'Designer Salt' to lower Sodium Intake

PepsiCo Inc. plans to start producing batches of a secret new ingredient to make its Lay's potato chips healthier, not necessarily taste better, just healthier.
This should be an interesting experiment because salt adds body to foods as well as enhancing flavor, and little is understood about how salt is perceived on the tongue.
The secret ingredient is a designer, powdery salt, where the crystals are shaped and sized in a way that reduces the amount of sodium (25%) when consumers eat the chips.
The new salt could also reduce sodium levels in seasoned Lay's chips like Sour Cream & Onion, PepsiCo said, and it could be used in other products like Cheetos and Quaker bars.

At an investor conference the company said it is committed to cutting its products' average sodium per serving by 25% by 2015 and saturated fat and added sugar by 15% and 25%, sometime this decade.

Pressure is growing on U.S. food companies to act, because most of the salt Americans consume is in processed foods.
Michelle Obama is pressing food companies to cut fat, salt and sugar in their product, and New York City, as well as some health organizations,want restaurants and makers of packaged foods to cut salt 25% within the next five years.
They also want all Last Supper pictures burned, just kidding; that will come later.

The Spilling of Salt

Throw a pinch of salt over your shoulder after spilling it,
it's religious history.

We thought we would add another food belief, this time involving salt. Salt has always been a big deal because it was once a rare and costly commodity. As a result it was shameful to spill any. Additionally, salt is a purifier, a preservative, and it symbolizes the good and lasting qualities of life. Not only was it use with foods it was also used in the religious ceremonies of both the Greeks and Romans.

One source of this belief is in Leonardo da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper. If you look at the close-up photo, notice the betrayer Judas has accidentally spilled salt onto the table. Take a good look, you'll find it.

So, if you happen to spill salt, simply take a pinch and toss it over your left shoulder, right into the Devil's face. That should fix things.