[Initiatives developed in Brazil to reduce sodium content of processed foods]

The construction of strategies for reducing the sodium content of processed foods is part of a set of actions to decrease the intake of this nutrient in Brazil-from the current 12 g of salt per person per day to less than 5 g per person per day (2 000 mg sodium) by 2020. In this process, a central action is the pact between the government and the food industry to establish voluntary, gradual, and sustainable targets to reduce the maximum sodium content of industrial foods. This article describes the Brazilian experience in building and implementing strategies for the reduction of these maximum limits in processed foods and the social actors involved in this effort.