Sodium on nutrition labels: a 30-second grocery check

Public health guidance in the US generally points to less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day for most adults. Many packaged meals, breads, sauces, and snacks use a large share of that in a single serving.

Look at serving size first

The milligrams on the panel are per serving, not per package. A “serving” that looks small on paper is often half of what people actually eat.

Quick thresholds

• Low sodium claims are regulated; still read the milligrams.
• Sauces, deli meats, and canned soups are common high-sodium categories.
• Compare two similar products with a scan instead of guessing from the front of the pack.

How Nutriguide helps

Scan the barcode, check sodium per serving, and log only what you eat. If you set a sodium limit in Nutrition Goals (signed-in), you can keep that target consistent across days.

This is education, not medical advice. People with hypertension or kidney disease should follow their clinician’s limits.