Why is it called sodium on food labels instead of sodium chloride?

Simonizer12182015-05-26T03:39:59Z

Sodium comes in many forms in our food supply. It can be as NaCl (sodium chloride), or as the sodium salt of a whole variety of other chemicals. The sodium dissociates from the other stuff upon ingestion, so the food people just report the total sodium, not just sodium in the form of sodium chloride.