Acceptance of quantity recipes with zero added salt by a military population

The average civilian young man consumes approximately 5.5 g sodium daily in food plus an additional 20% as added salt. The average intake of military personnel may exceed this civilian level. The Surgeons General of the Military Services established 1,700 mg sodium per 1,000 kcal as the goal for sodium content in menus served in military dining facilities. We tested the acceptability of quantity recipes with zero added salt and control recipes with added salt in military dining facilities. Twenty-eight test recipes with zero added salt were prepared and offered on the regular serving line. Military personnel selecting the test items rated them for acceptability on a nine-point hedonic scale. Only 6 of the 28 recipes with zero added salt were rated significantly less acceptable than the control recipes. Chemical analysis of the test recipes showed an 11% to 87% reduction in sodium and a 28% to 80% reduction in chloride. Our results indicate that dietitians and/or foodservice managers can produce quantity food recipes that are reduced in sodium and acceptable to customers.