I’m happy to see that the federal government has solved every other problem known to man, so now it can get down to regulating how much salt I consume in any given day. Because without Uncle Sam I might just suck on the salt shaker like it’s a pacifier.

The Food and Drug Administration is planning an unprecedented effort to gradually reduce the salt consumed each day by Americans, saying that less sodium in everything from soup to nuts would prevent thousands of deaths from hypertension and heart disease. The initiative, to be launched this year, would eventually lead to the first legal limits on the amount of salt allowed in food products.

The government intends to work with the food industry and health experts to reduce sodium gradually over a period of years to adjust the American palate to a less salty diet, according to FDA sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the initiative had not been formally announced.

Officials have not determined the salt limits. In a complicated undertaking, the FDA would analyze the salt in spaghetti sauces, breads and thousands of other products that make up the $600 billion food and beverage market, sources said. Working with food manufacturers, the government would set limits for salt in these categories, designed to gradually ratchet down sodium consumption. The changes would be calibrated so that consumers barely notice the modification.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, bureaucrats in Washington are now going to determine how much salt is permitted in food products. Because evidently you’re just too stupid to look at the nutrition label on the back or side of the package and determine if the sodium level is too high.

Seriously, the federal government has decided that you’re just too stupid:

Until now, the government has pushed the food industry to voluntarily reduce salt and tried to educate consumers about the dangers of excessive sodium. But in a study to be released Wednesday, an expert panel convened by the Institute of Medicine concludes that those measures have failed. The panel will recommend that the government take action, according to sources familiar with the findings.

You didn’t voluntarily reduce your salt intake when manufacturers had to put nutrition labels on the package, so now you’ll be forced to change your diet. You don’t actually have a choice anymore, you just get an opportunity to voluntarily do what nannies in Washington want before you’re forced to do what they want.