FDA should regulate salt, panel says

More nanny statism on parade.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should regulate the amount of salt that can be added to foods to help Americans eat less sodium, an influential federal panel said on Tuesday.

Because Americans get most of their sodium from processed and restaurant foods, it is not enough to simply tell them to eat less salt and regulation of the food industry is needed, the Institute of Medicine said.

The FDA is already putting together measures to do this, the Washington Post reported.