December 2020

The purpose of this guidance is to advise food manufacturers of our intent to exercise enforcement discretion for declaration of the name “potassium salt” in the ingredient statement on food labels as an alternative to the common or usual name “potassium chloride.”

FDA intends to exercise this enforcement discretion to provide industry with greater flexibility when labeling their food products, including those that are formulated to reduce sodium content. This enforcement discretion may result in manufacturers using potassium chloride as a substitute ingredient for some sodium chloride and may lead to reduced sodium intake.

This guidance is consistent with FDA’s Nutrition Innovation Strategy to reduce the burden of chronic disease in the United States through improved nutrition, by empowering consumers with information, and supporting and fostering industry innovation in developing and promoting healthfulness of food options. This guidance is also consistent with FDA’s previous activities to encourage manufacturers to reduce the sodium levels in food products in the interest of public health.

FDA's guidance documents, including this guidance, do not establish legally enforceable responsibilities. Instead, guidances describe our current thinking on a topic and should be viewed only as recommendations, unless specific regulatory or statutory requirements are cited. The use of the word should in FDA guidances means that something is suggested or recommended, but not required.

Download the Guidance

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Related Information

• Additional Labeling Guidance