Whether serving fast food or cooking up gourmet meals, restaurants are cutting back on salt. It’s partly for your health, but it’s also to head off regulators who have already ordered them to post calorie counts on their menus and stop frying with trans fats.
Carl’s Jr. has cut 20% of the sodium from its hamburger buns. El Torito has whacked up to 30% of the sodium from its sauces and marinades. Taco Bell said last week that it had cut 20% of the sodium from its menu across the board.
“Everybody in the industry is looking at sodium reduction,” said Brad Haley, marketing chief for CKE Restaurants, which owns the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s chains. “Because we think this is the next legislative requirement that is going to come down.”