Table 3: Changes in sodium levels from 2010 to 2013, by food category (n = 1580).
| Food category | No. of food items | Sodium level (mg/serving), mean ± SD* |
Food items with a decrease in sodium level |
Food items with an increase in sodium level |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2013 | n (%) | Percent change; median (25th, 75th percentile) |
n (%) | Percent change; median (25th, 75th percentile) | ||
|
Sit-down restaurant |
|||||||
| Stir fry entrées |
10 |
2198 ± 986 |
2209 ± 802 |
1 (10.0) |
–50 |
4 (40.0) |
25 (8, 67) |
| Sandwiches or wraps |
73 |
1906 ± 1083 |
1933 ± 933 |
21 (28.8) |
–8 (–23, –4) |
22 (30.1) |
21 (9, 49) |
| Pasta entrées |
76 |
1822 ± 738 |
1619 ± 723† |
49 (64.5) |
–11 (–22, –7) |
10 (13.2) |
12 (3, 17) |
| Entrées with multiple meats and seafood (e.g., surf-n-turf) |
12 |
1821 ± 798 |
1862 ± 802 |
1 (8.3) |
0 |
3 (25.0) |
6 (6, 14) |
| Hamburgers |
39 |
1653 ± 657 |
1753 ± 642‡ |
13 (33.3) |
–7 (–8, –6) |
11 (28.2) |
35 (21, 57) |
| Breakfast entrées (e.g., pancakes, waffles, or eggs and bacon) |
74 |
1595 ± 678 |
1573 ± 681 |
19 (25.7) |
–24 (–35, –8) |
18 (24.3) |
13 (2, 47) |
| Rib entrées |
19 |
1594 ± 712 |
1717 ± 956 |
3 (15.8) |
–4 (–4, –2) |
1 (5.3) |
137 |
| Salad entrée with meat |
41 |
1218 ± 447 |
1259 ± 487 |
8 (19.5) |
–11 (–16, –9) |
13 (31.7) |
20 (13, 29) |
| Chicken entrées |
42 |
1145 ± 669 |
1142 ± 731 |
10 (23.8) |
–28 (–44, –11) |
9 (21.4) |
25 (18, 41) |
| Salad entrées |
19 |
863 ± 434 |
908 ± 394 |
7 (36.8) |
–20 (–25, –9) |
6 (31.6) |
54 (18, 182) |
| Steak and beef entrées |
36 |
832 ± 816 |
836 ± 777 |
9 (25.0) |
–15 (–39, –8) |
6 (16.7) |
135 (39, 217) |
| Seafood entrées |
24 |
804 ± 588 |
811 ± 578 |
2 (8.3) |
–38 (–40, –36) |
3 (12.5) |
48 (34, 64) |
| Pizza (one medium slice) |
93 |
575 ± 204 |
446 ± 163† |
85 (91.4) |
–17 (–12, 32) |
7 (7.5) |
17 (12, 32) |
|
Fast-food restaurant |
|||||||
| Stir fry |
24 |
1766 ± 181 |
1766 ± 181 |
0 (0.0) |
0 |
0 (0.0) |
0 |
| Poutine |
15 |
1617 ± 722 |
1505 ± 476 |
6 (40.0) |
–17 (–23, –6) |
3 (20.0) |
8 (1, 129) |
| Tacos or burritos |
61 |
1389 ± 852 |
1123 ± 618† |
48 (78.7) |
–21 (–34, –11) |
12 (19.7) |
16 (4, 32) |
| Sandwiches or wraps |
203 |
1354 ± 554 |
1327 ± 659 |
82 (40.4) |
–18 (–25, –12) |
33 (16.3) |
23 (10, 56) |
| Hot dogs |
13 |
1203 ± 236 |
1163 ± 264 |
8 (61.5) |
–10 (–13, –6) |
4 (30.8) |
4 (1, 31) |
| Salads with meat |
22 |
1094 ± 282 |
1047 ± 342 |
12 (54.5) |
–11 (–28, –8) |
3 (13.6) |
60 (21, 67) |
| Hamburgers |
60 |
1061 ± 307 |
1039 ± 319 |
33 (55.0) |
–6 (–11, –4) |
5 (8.3) |
20 (18, 73) |
| Stir fry (no sodium or low sodium) |
37 |
1041 ± 246 |
1041 ± 246 |
0 (0.0) |
0 |
0 (0.0) |
0 |
| Sushi |
11 |
897 ± 261 |
961 ± 236 |
0 (0.0) |
0 |
4 (36.4) |
35 (14, 36) |
| Chicken |
47 |
777 ± 338 |
689 ± 301§ |
20 (42.6) |
–20 (–25, –13) |
3 (6.4) |
7 (2, 97) |
| Breakfast (e.g., bagels or breakfast sandwiches) |
113 |
721 ± 427 |
710 ± 397 |
28 (28.3) |
–5 (–11, –1) |
14 (14.1) |
6 (2, 13) |
| Pasta |
25 |
718 ± 335 |
718 ± 335 |
0 (0.0) |
0 |
0 (0.0) |
0 |
| Salads |
20 |
588 ± 222 |
646 ± 311 |
2 (10.0) |
–32 (–44, –20) |
4 (20.0) |
71 (37, 107) |
| Pizza (one medium slice) |
263 |
432 ± 211 |
436 ± 211 |
56 (21.3) |
–9 (–17, –5) |
76 (28.9) |
14 (6, 22) |
|
Kid’s menu items |
|||||||
| Sit-down restaurant kid’s meal entrées |
68 |
760 (567, 1008) |
730 (535, 972)‡ |
21 (30.1) |
–26 (–39, –13) |
10 (14.7) |
10 (6, 36) |
| Fast-food kid’s meal entrées (e.g., hamburger or nuggets) |
13 |
752 (592, 900) |
717 (686, 770) |
3 (23.1) |
–24 (–34, –22) |
3 (23.1) |
16 (11, 17) |
| Sit-down restaurant kid’s side dishes | 27 | 420 (75, 570) | 380 (85, 520) | 9 (33.3) | –30 (–32, –23) | 3 (11.1) | 140 (54, 258) |
Note: SD = standard deviation. Additional analysis using general linear models to predict the change in sodium while including establishment as a covariate produced the same results and confirmed that establishment is not a covariate. Data for baked goods, desserts and side dishes are provided in Appendix 1 (Supplementary Table 2, available at www.cmajopen.ca/content/2/4/E343/suppl/DC1). Data for changes in sodium density (sodium per 100 g) in each category are provided in Appendix 1 (Supplementary Table 3, available at www.cmajopen.ca/content/2/4/E343/suppl/DC1). *Unless otherwise indicated. †p < 0.001. ‡Paired t tests, p < 0.05. §p < 0.01.