Australia and New Zealand

FSANZ nutrition information panels show sodium per serving and per 100 g, or per 100 mL for liquids [5]. The per-100-unit column is particularly useful when comparing like products with different suggested serving sizes.

FSANZ also defines a low-salt claim at no more than 120 mg sodium per 100 g, while “reduced” claims depend on comparison with a reference product [4]. Those are label definitions, not proof that a food suits every medical diet. DASH’s own 2,300 mg level matches the US Daily Value rather than the WHO figure [2].

Sources for this section: [4] How much sodium is in Australian foods? · [5] Nutrition information panels

United States

The FDA Daily Value for sodium is 2,300 mg [3]. As a general label-reading shortcut, 5% DV or less per serving is considered low and 20% DV or more is high.

WHO’s population recommendation of less than 2,000 mg sodium a day sits below the US Daily Value, which is one reason a single percentage cannot carry a reader across both systems [1]. Because %DV is tied to the US labelling framework, a global cookbook should not tell an Australian reader to search for a percentage that may not be displayed on their package.

Sources for this section: [3] Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels

Comparing variable recipe ingredients

Stock, bread, cheese, sauces, canned foods and seasoning blends can differ markedly. When their sodium materially affects a recipe, the formulation should use a defined nutrition value and the reader-facing note can tell people to compare similar products.

This is more honest than assuming “reduced salt” means the same absolute sodium everywhere. It also avoids turning a recipe into a brand recommendation.

Sources for this section: [3] Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels · [4] How much sodium is in Australian foods?

Labels are shopping tools, not prescriptions

Labels help a reader choose between products. They do not determine the reader’s personal medical sodium target and they do not replace a recipe’s own nutrition calculation.

The site keeps those layers separate: evidence explains the frameworks, recipes disclose their formulation, and clinicians handle individualized treatment targets.

Sources for this section: [1] Sodium reduction · [2] DASH eating plan

Related reading

Sources

  1. Sodium reduction
    World Health Organization. Sodium reduction fact sheet. 11 May 2026. Verified 1 Sept 2026.
  2. DASH eating plan
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. DASH Eating Plan. Updated 25 February 2026. Verified 1 Sept 2026.
  3. Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
    U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels. Verified 20 August 2026. Verified 1 Sept 2026.
  4. How much sodium is in Australian foods?
    Food Standards Australia New Zealand. How much sodium is in Australian foods? Updated 26 November 2025. Verified 1 Sept 2026.
  5. Nutrition information panels
    Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Nutrition information panels. Updated 2025; verified 20 August 2026. Verified 1 Sept 2026.