The New York City-led National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI) continues to pick up commitments.

Latest to sign on are Hostess, Butterball, Snyder’s of Hanover, Premio, Furmano’s and Delhaize America, the New York City Health Department says.

The companies new to sign on join 16 of the nation’s leading food makers in a nationwide effort to cut the salt in packaged and restaurant foods by 25 percent over five years–an achievement that would reduce the nation’s salt intake by 20 percent and prevent tens of thousands of deaths each year due to conditions caused by high blood pressure. 

The addition of these companies demonstrates their dedication to leading the food industry toward a healthier food supply.

The initiative has developed specific targets to guide company salt reductions across 62 categories of packaged food and 25 categories of restaurant food. 

The food companies committing to targets today will reduce sodium in 29 of the NSRI packaged food categories. Heinz is expanding its earlier commitment to include some frozen entrees, in addition to ketchup and tomato sauce.

• Butterball is a popular brand-name manufacturer of turkey, poultry, and deli meats, as well as specialty products. The company commits to meeting the NSRI sodium-reduction targets in deli meat and hot dogs.

• Delhaize America has 1600 supermarkets along the East Coast whose stores include Bloom, Bottom Dollar Food, Hannaford, Food Lion, Sweetbay, Harvey’s and Reid’s. The company will reduce sodium levels in the products it manufactures across 22 packaged-food categories, including frozen pizza, cereal and butter.

• Furmano’s, a supplier of foods to consumers and restaurants, will cut salt across its varieties of canned beans, baked beans and tomatoes.

• Heinz, which made an initial commitment for its ketchup brand and Classico tomato sauce, is increasing its commitment to include frozen pizza and entrees.

• Hostess, one of the largest wholesale bakeries in the country, produces bread, snack cakes and donuts under many brand names, including Wonder and Nature’s Pride. The company commits to reducing salt across its entire line of bread products.

• Family-owned Premio is the maker of 20 different sausage products. It commits to decreasing salt in its uncooked sausages.

• Snyder’s of Hanover, the nation’s largest pretzel maker, also produces potato chips, tortilla chips and a brand of low-fat snack foods. The manufacturer already meets the NSRI target for pretzels and now commits to cutting the salt in its unflavored chips.

These companies join Au Bon Pain, Boar’s Head, FreshDirect, Goya, Hain Celestial, Kraft, LiDestri, Mars Food, McCain Foods, Red Gold, Starbucks, Subway, Unilever, Uno Chicago Grill and White Rose, all of which are already committed to NSRI targets.