Whether they're interesting in cooking -- or just snacking -- consumers will still get full flavor with 25 percent less sodium in the latest new offering from Sargento Foods Inc.

Sargento, Plymouth, Wis., just introduced six Reduced Sodium cheeses that "offer great flavor for health-conscious consumers looking to indulge their passion for cheese, without having to sacrifice taste," the company says.

The six new varieties include Colby-Jack slices, Provolone slices, Colby-Jack snack sticks, String snacks, Mild Cheddar shredded cheese and Mozzarella shredded cheese. With National Nutrition Month in March, the launch of the Reduced Sodium line comes at a time when consumers are seeking healthier food options.

"With almost 50 percent of consumers reading food labels for sodium content, we're responding to their interest in lowering their daily intake by offering Reduced Sodium Sargento cheeses," says Chris Groom, marketing director. "However, we only wanted to launch the line if we could still provide the great tasting natural cheese that consumers love, which this line does successfully."

Adds Rebecca Maine, Sargento's senior sensory and taste expert, "People often assume when salt is taken out of food, it becomes bland and tasteless. When we were developing the new line of reduced sodium cheeses we took into consideration our consumers' demand for flavor and taste as our highest priority."

Available in slices, shreds and snacks, the new Reduced Sodium cheeses will be on grocery store shelves nationwide in March, the company says.