A study analyzed the average yearly salt intake in the United States from 2012 thru 2017. The data is summarized in the table: Year Annual Salt Intake
(grams)
2012 3,554
2013 3,598
2014 3,603
2015 3,655
2016 3,718
2017 3,794
The study found that the data after the year 2012 can be modeled by the function f(x) = 52.3x + 3,548, where x is the number of years since 2012 and f(x) is the total amount of salt ingested in grams. Describe the significance of 3,548.