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Healthy salads have more salt than a Big Mac and fries
Last updated at 23:37pm on 30.07.07Many ready-made salads and pasta bowls should carry a health warning because they contain more salt than a Big Mac and fries, say campaigners.
A pressure group says hidden salt in take-out meals and other processed foods means the nation is over-dosing on it on a daily basis.
High salt consumption is linked to high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks and tens of thousands of early deaths every year.
CASH - Consensus Action on Salt and Health - looked at 156 readymade salads and pasta bowls from nine high-street retailers, three coffee shops and two fast-food outlets.
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People often think that having a salad is the healthier option
The worst offender, according to the pressure group, was a Thai noodle salad from the chain Eat, which contained 4.4g salt per portion. That equates to almost three-quarters of the 6g recommended daily salt limit for an adult.
Around one in five contained more salt than is ideal for a single meal, while some had more salt than a Big Mac and small fries, which has 2.7g. Among these were two dishes from Morrisons - chicken and bacon pasta and tuna pasta.
Products from Somerfield, Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer, Pret A Manger and Asda also showed relatively high salt levels.
Classic salads with leaves, tomatoes and spring onions are naturally very low in salt. It is the dressings and extra ingredients such as bacon, ham and cheese that add the salt.
Despite this, CASH said it is possible to minimise levels. It found that an Asda three-cheese layered salad contains 2.6g salt whereas the Tesco version was just 0.8g.
Professor Graham MacGregor, the chairman of CASH, said: "Many people think of a salad as a healthy lunch.
"In many cases this is true and we would encourage people to look out for low- salt, low-fat salads as a good lunchtime option.
"However, our research shows that there are some salads out there which really ought to carry a health warning, rather than be thought of as a healthy option.
"For example, Eat smoked mackerel superfood salad is clearly being marketed as a healthy option, but it contains 3.5g of salt, well over half an adult's total daily limit.
"If someone is looking to eat oily fish, they would be much better having a Sainsbury's poached Scottish salmon and dill pasta salad, with only 0.4g of salt per portion.
"Saving 2 to 3g of salt a day may not sound like a lot, but research shows that people who reduce their salt intake by this sort of amount can reduce their risk of having a heart attack or stroke by a quarter.
"Cutting our salt intake in the UK is vital, as for each 1g of salt we can cut out of our national average intake, we will save more than 6,500 lives each year."
The organisation has put the research details on its website, www.actiononsalt.org.uk/consumer.
The British Heart Foundation backed the warning from CASH.
Policy officer Alex Callaghan said: "It's easy to assume that something like a salad will be full of goodness, but this report goes to show that the name of a food product doesn't always tell the full story.
"Salt is a hidden killer which can lurk in the unlikeliest of foods.
"Shoppers should not take this report as a reason not to eat salads and pasta bowls, but as proof of the need to check the contents of the food they pick up off the shelves."
The Salt Manufacturers Association has challenged the healthrisk claims. They insist that a certain level of salt is needed to ensure that the body functions properly.
They also argue that salt is an important preservative, while the public believe it improves the taste of many foods.
