Council orders fish and chip shops to put fewer holes in salt shakers in new health drive

But in these health-conscious times, it was never going to be long before the nation's chippies came under pressure to change.

To cut the amount added, a council has come up with a novel, and extremely simple, solution - cut the number of holes in the lids of salt shakers.

Takeaways are being issued with catering-sized salt pots with just five holes in the lid, rather than the usual 17 or 18, cutting the amount of salt on the average portion of chips by more than half.

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However critics questioned whether councils ought to be intervening in this way, saying it ought to be down to customers to decide whether to opt for less.

Health campaigners say excess salt intake causes raised blood pressure and that encouraging people to consume no more than the recommended 6g a day would save thousands of lives a year.

They are targeting manufacturers of ready meals and fast food chains such as Pizza Hut and McDonald's, but huge amounts of salt are also routinely added to portions of chips.

Analysis of takeaway meals sprinkled with salt using the traditional 17-hole shakers found they contained up to 3.9g of salt, more than half an adult's daily limit.

The five-hole lids were devised after talks with catering equipment manufacturers, and they are now being distributed to fish-and-chip shops.

To tie in with Salt Awareness Week, which begins next Monday, Rochdale council in Greater Manchester is conducting a trial.

It has the third highest rate of early deaths from heart disease and stroke in England, both of which are linked to high blood pressure, and 13 local chip shops are being sent the new shakers, which cost about £2.30 each.

Wera Hobhouse, cabinet member for the environment and sustainability, said: "The council is backing the use of the new shakers because everybody wins.

"They are healthier for customers and, at the same time, chip shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs save money because less salt is wasted and their food tastes just as good or better."

Council staff will analyse meals prepared using the new shakers to find out whether they do reduce salt before deciding whether to recommend them to all local cafes and takeaways.

One of those already using them, Andy Pilkington, of Mr Thomas's fish and chip shop in Littleborough, said they were "a great idea".

"I can't see there being any problems and I'm sure they're here to stay," he added.

The five-hole shakers were devised by Gateshead council which said they had proved popular with takeaway bosses and cut the amount of salt added to meals by more than 60 per cent.

But last night questions were being asked as to whether they would really make a difference.

Mark Petrou, whose takeaway in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, Petrou Brothers, is reigning fish and chip shop of the year, said: "People know how much salt they like - surely they will just shake it for longer?

"Customers just need to be told the risks about salt and then they can cut down as they see fit. I don't think it's appropriate for councils to spend money buying these things."

However Jo Butten, a nutritionist at Consensus Action on Salt and Health, said: "Anything that encourages people to add less salt is a good thing, so we hope it catches on."