John Morrell Food Group, Lisle, Ill., introduced new lower sodium smoked sausage.

Sold under the Eckrich brand, these sausages deliver 33% less sodium as compared to USDA data for smoked sausage.

"We looked at a great deal of research showing that there's a group of consumers who are looking for food options with less sodium," says Charles Gitkin, vice president, marketing, innovation and R&D for the John Morrell Food Group, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods. "We are now able to deliver a product that has the same great taste of Eckrich with less of the sodium they are trying to avoid."

The new offering will be available in 13-ounce packages in stores this fall.