After imposing limitations on cigarettes, sugary drinks and trans-fats, the New York City now seeks to protect people from another health scourge – salt, by limiting its intake in diet.

On Monday, the Bloomberg administration plans to unveil a wide new health initiative aimed at encouraging food manufacturers and restaurant chains across the country to voluntarily cut on the amount of salt in their products. It allows companies to cut salt gradually over five years, so the change is not very noticeable to consumers.

The health department claims that New Yorkers eat twice as much salt on an average as is recommended, engulfing 23,000 lives in New York City each year.

The department's guidelines suggest a maximum amount of salt that should be in foods, with the aim to cut the amount of salt in packaged and restaurant foods by 25 percent over five years.

Public health experts revealed that the strategy would assist in dealing with high blood pressure and help prevent some of the strokes and heart attacks associated with that condition.

Some medical researchers have questioned the scientific basis for the initiative, citing that the research done is not sufficient, despite receiving a positive response from the food companies.

ConAgra, manufacturer of wide array of products, said it would continue with previously announced plans to cut the sodium in its portfolio of products by 20 percent by 2015.