Half of supermarket soups contain 'harmful' levels of salt

Yet half of all soups sold in supermarkets and by takeaway chains contain harmful levels of salt.

And some organic products which would particularly appeal to the healthconscious, including the Seeds of Change brand, are among the worst offenders.

Famous brands such as Heinz, Baxters, Knorr and those carrying celebrity endorsement by the likes of Ainsley Harriott and Loyd Grossman are also under fire.

Heavy salt consumption is associated with high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks and other causes of premature death.

The Government's Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said that by 2010 soup should contain no more than 0.6g of salt per 100g. Yet a survey of 576

varieties by the campaigning group, Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH), found 48 per cent are above this threshold.

Seeds of Change, whose organic soups are sold in foil pouches, had 3.94g of salt in a 350g serving of its Creamy Tomato variety, which is

1.12g per 100g. Others including Spicy Lentil, Carrot & Coriander and Three Bean were also relatively high.

Two carton soups sold by the Eat takeaway chain were also high in salt. These included a Boston Clam Chowder which contained 3.87g per

340g serving- 13g per 100g. Two Morrisons own-label dried packet soups were above 3g per serving - Minestrone and Cream of Chicken.

A dried Batchelors Tomato Cup a Soup in a jar, and a Pret a Manger Italian Meatball in a carton were also among the highest per serving.

The CASH survey found that three out of four soups carrying the Ainsley Harriott brand contained more than 0.6g of salt per 100g. Five of nine Loyd Grossman soups were above the threshold.

Some 28 of 54 products sold by Heinz were also above the 0.6g figure, as were 29 out of 38 sold by Batchelors.

Similar figures were found with Knorr, Crosse & Blackwell and supermarket own labels. The lowest levels were found in the Simply Organic brand and products offered by the My Little Soup company.

CASH, the FSA and the Department of Health argue the nation is effectively overdosing on salt. Men are consuming an average of 10.2g per day, while the figure for women is 7.6g. Both are well about the recommended maximum of 6g.

CASH chairman Graham Mac-Gregor, a professor of cardiovascular medicine, said, "Manufacturers need to act in a much more responsible way and work with the interests of their customers in mind and immediately reduce the salt content of their soups, particularly as other companies in the same category of soup have products available well below these levels.

"Recent research has shown that

people who are able to reduce their intake by just 3g per day can reduce their risk of having a stroke or heart attack by one quarter."

The Food & Drink Federation, which speaks for manufacturers, said the industry had significantly reduced salt levels in soups and was working towards the 2010 target.

Additionally, a large number of manufacturers are now putting Guideline Daily Amounts on the front of packs.