Sodium use up 144% in restaurants -- mostly through gourmet salt

So much for regulators' war on sodium – salt's presence on restaurant menus has boomed 144% in five years, according to new research.

But it's not just the regular stuff straight from the shaker, says Technomic MenuMonitor, which tracks more than 2,000 chains and restaurants. The actual amount of salt in food may have decreased, but more dishes are starting to feature fancier versions of the mineral.

"We are seeing more artisan, spice-blended and designer finishing salts being introduced broadly across appetizers, entrees and dessert menus," said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic.

In a trickle-down effect from fine dining, swanky salt is showing up across the food industry.

Small gourmet salt-selling boutiques, like The Meadow in New York City, are springing up around the country. "Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto serves up his televised creations on slabs of pink rock salt. At chef Thomas Keller’s French Laundry near Napa, recently deemed the most expensive restaurant in the country, the caramel ice cream comes with Maldon sea salt produced in England.

Asian stir-fry chain Genghis Grill mixes salt, cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger and Cajun spices into a blend it calls Dragon Salt. Last year, Wendy's made a big to-do of its "Natural-Cut Sea Salt Fries." Hawaiian black lava sea salt has shown up on other menus.

Good luck, then, for efforts to ban salt, such as legislation last year out of New York that proposed a $1,000 fine for restaurants using sodium in food preparation or consumption.

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-- Tiffany Hsu

Photo: A bowl of rock salt. Credit: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times

Retail Roundup: Toys R Us, American Apparel, Sears and Costco, retail sales

 -- Toys R Us, which last year opened 600 temporary shops during the holidays, will reduce the number of pop-up stores this holiday season, according to Reuters. The nation's largest toy retailer, which hopes to go public next year, did not announce how many pop-ups it would open. 

-- Los Angeles-based American Apparel is in talks to raise as much as $160 million from several investors, including a private equity firm connected to Los Angeles billionaire Ron Burkle, according to Bloomberg, which cited several unnamed sources. The restructuring talks include the possibility that American Apparel's founder and chief executive, Dov Charney, could step down as chairman of the board so he could focus on day-to-day operations. 

The parties include private equity firms Colbeck Capital Management, which is affiliated with Burkle's Yucaipa Cos., and Authentic Brands Group, which is backed by L.A.-based Leonard Green & Partners.

-- Department store chain Sears has agreed to sell its exclusive line of Craftsman tools at Costco warehouse clubs. The power tools and other products will start appearing on Costco shelves as early as this weekend and are scheduled to roll out at all Costco locations this year, the Chicago Tribune says. Sears is hoping that the deal will attract customers who shop at Costco but not at Sears or Kmart, where the tools are also carried. 

Speaking of Costco, this week its chief executive and co-founder, Jim Sinegal, announced that he would be stepping down from the top post on Jan. 1. He will remain with the company until January 2013 to help replacement Craig Jelinek, currently Costco's president and chief operating officer, with the transition; Sinegal will also remain on the board of directors.

-- Major chain stores reported that sales rose a healthy 4.4% year over year in August despite stock market turmoil and Hurricane Irene. Discounters and luxury chains were among the best performers.

-- Andrea Chang