Major Food Processor Enters Low Salt Spice Market

A year ago, McCormick & Co., a major retail spice marketer and a member of the S&P 500 average, announced it was openly advertising a salt free spice line. Recently they have started advertising it more aggressively.

Mrs. Dash, an Alberto-Culver subsidiary, pioneered this concept in 1981 and has been the only national brand likely to be found in mainstream stores. Frankly, I find Mrs. Dash products rather bland and prefer salt free spice mixes from more obscure suppliers who can never be found in mainstream stores.

The new Perfect Pinch product line, has 18 flavors, 5 of which are salt free:

• Perfect Pinch® Salt Free Garlic & Herb Seasoning
• Perfect Pinch® Salt Free Garlic Pepper Seasoning
• Perfect Pinch® Salt Free Italian Seasoning
• Perfect Pinch® Salt Free Original Seasoning
• Perfect Pinch® Salt Free Savory All Purpose

I have not tried them yet, but the $1 coupon in my Sunday paper this week is a big incentive.

The significance of this news is that a major food processor is embracing a no salt product. Compare this with Campbell's approach with their few low salt products: they label cans with a warning sign at left as if many Americans would suffer physical harm from eating low sodium products!

So kudos to McCormick for this bold move and let's hope that more competition for Mrs. Dash will make their products more responsive to consumer needs. Check if your nearby mainstream stores have these products and nag them a little if they don't. Also try buying them and repeating the purchase if you like the product - that sends a message.