“Nicolas Tsisios, Senior Food Technologist at Food Scientist For Hire, developing functional beverage formulations at the company’s product development lab in the Netherlands.”
Food Scientist For Hire reports a growing divide between European salt reduction targets and the rapid rise of high-sodium hydration products. While supermarkets and food manufacturers continue to reduce salt in everyday foods, many electrolyte brands are moving the other way, with some products delivering up to 1,000 mg of sodium per serving. The trend raises new questions around formulation, labelling, taste and the intended use of hydration products.

Valkenswaard, Netherlands – September 17, 2026 – Food Scientist For Hire is seeing a growing divide in the way food and beverage companies approach sodium. Across Europe, supermarkets, manufacturers and public health programmes continue to focus on reducing salt in everyday foods. In the Netherlands, supermarkets participating in the National Approach to Product Improvement are working to lower salt, sugar and saturated fat across numerous product categories. At the same time, many new functional hydration and electrolyte brands are moving in the opposite direction by intentionally increasing sodium levels in their products.

“We are seeing two very different approaches to salt,” said Nicolas Tsisios, Senior Food Technologist at Food Scientist For Hire. “With conventional foods, developers are often trying to reduce sodium. With hydration products, founders are increasingly asking us to formulate with much higher sodium levels. Some briefs contain several hundred milligrams of sodium per serving, and there are already products on the market containing 1,000 mg in a single serving.”

One example is electrolyte brand LMNT, which lists 1,000 mg of sodium per stick. In European nutrition terms, 1,000 mg of sodium is equivalent to approximately 2.5 g of salt. The European Union reference intake for salt is 6 g per day, meaning a serving containing this amount of sodium represents approximately 42% of the EU reference intake for salt. The World Health Organization recommends that adults consume less than 2,000 mg of sodium per day, equivalent to less than 5 g of salt.

“The important point is the use case,” Tsisios said. “An everyday beverage and a hydration product designed for prolonged exercise, high temperatures or heavy sweating are very different products. Sodium is lost through sweat, so developers need to consider the target consumer, serving size, expected consumption and conditions of use. Simply copying a high-sodium formula without understanding these factors does not make technical sense.”

High sodium levels also create formulation challenges. Sodium strongly influences taste, and concentrations can quickly produce a noticeable salty or harsh profile. Developers may need to adjust acidity, sweetness, flavour systems and the balance of other electrolytes to create an acceptable finished drink. European nutrition labelling adds another consideration because mandatory nutrition declarations show salt rather than sodium.

“We think sodium will become one of the more interesting formulation discussions within functional beverages,” Tsisios added. “There is a clear difference between public health efforts to reduce average sodium consumption and developing a specialist hydration product for a specific consumer and use occasion. Brands need to understand that difference before deciding how much sodium belongs in a formula.”

A recent example is Solspill, a premium hydration brand developed with Food Scientist For Hire. The drinks combine naturally sourced electrolytes, coconut water and real fruit ingredients, and were developed from laboratory formulation through small-scale production and commercial manufacturing in the United States. You can read the full Solspill hydration drink case study.

About Food Scientist For Hire

Food Scientist For Hire is a food and beverage product development consultancy based in the Netherlands. The company works with startups, established brands and manufacturers on formulation, product development, pilot production, ingredient sourcing, regulatory support and commercial scale-up. Its development work covers beverages, functional shots, powders, sauces and other packaged food products. Food Scientist For Hire supports projects for European and international markets.

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To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Europe Cuts Salt While Hydration Brands Push Sodium Higher

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