Subway Cuts Salt in 'Fresh Fit' Sandwiches

April 18, 2011 -- Subway, the world's largest fast food chain, announced today it is cutting the amount of salt in its "Fresh Fit" sandwiches by 28 percent. This is on top of the 15 percent of sodium the company already removed from its core sandwiches.

"Sodium intake around the world is growing, and since high sodium intake is linked to hypertension, a major risk factor for heart disease, we knew it was important to try to reduce the sodium in our menu items," Lanette Kovachi, corporate dietitian at Subway, told ABC News. "We have made significant reductions already, but we plan to reduce even more."

The federal government recommends that the majority of Americans consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of salt per day, and even with the cuts, most of of Subway's sandwiches would still account for more than half of a person's recommend daily amount of sodium.

"50 percent of your daily consumption is more than we would like, but its much better than what it was before," said Dr. Ralph Sacco, President of the American Heart Association and Chairman of Neurology at the University of Miami. "We think any incremental step down is a step in the right direction."

If an individual chooses to eat a 12-inch sandwich from Subway, the sandwich would likely exceed the federal government's recommendation.

How Subway has changed from 2009 to 2011 (amount of sodium in milligrams):

Fresh Fit

Non Fresh Fit

6-Inch Tuna: 2009 - 1,010 mg vs. 2011 - 830 mg