As food manufacturers, health organizations, and government turn their attentions to helping Americans reduce the amount of sodium in their diets, market research company, The NPD Group, reports that there is a gap between consumers’ concerns about the amount of sodium in their diets and their consumption of low-sodium and sodium-free foods.

Although the level of sodium concern is not as high as two decades ago, concern has risen in recent years, but the number consuming low-sodium/sodium-free foods has steadily decreased, according to NPD’s National Eating Trends, which has continually tracked Americans’ eating behaviors for the last 30 years.

“In my 30 years of observing Americans eating behaviors, there is often a gap between what consumers say and what they do,” says Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst at The NPD Group and author of Eating Patterns in America.

“It’s easier to aspire to a positive behavior than to actually do it.”

According to a separate NPD food market research report entitled “A Look into The Future of Eating”, caution in serving foods with salt will increase over the next decade.

The projected number of individuals who feel “a person should be very cautious in serving foods with salt” is forecasted to increase by 14 percent by 2018.