05 Jul 2007


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Sandwiches contain same salt content as seven packets of crisps

Tesco

Asda

Pre-packed sandwiches may contain the same amount of salt as a Big Mac – or seven packets of crisps, according to new research.

Sandwiches showed huge variations in salt content

A study, carried out by health lobby group Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) on behalf of the BBC, suggests that many sandwiches bought at retail outlets contain more than a third of the day's recommended salt intake.

CASH surveyed 140 sandwiches from nine retailers, a fast food chain, bakery and five coffee shops.

Research revealed that 41% contained more than 2g of salt, while 8% contained 3g or more which half the adult daily limit.

The Government recommends adults should consume no more than 6g of salt a day.

Asda's Extra Special Yorkshire Ham and Hawes Wensleydale registered the largest amount of salt at 3.9g per serving. This was followed by Pret a Manger's All Day Breakfast sandwich at 3.54g and Tesco's Finest All Day Breakfast with 3.5g.

The lowest recorded sandwiches were the Co-op's Healthy Living Tuna and Cucumber and Tesco Healthy Living Chicken Salad which were just 0.6g of salt.

Carrie Bolt, CASH project assistant, said: “We have calculated that the UK population consumes around 3,000 tonnes of salt each year, just from packaged sandwiches.

“Many of us buy a sandwich for our lunch most days of the week, but we need to know how much salt is in those sandwiches.

“We compared similar sandwiches from different retailers and found some huge variations. In some cases, some sandwiches can have twice as much as another retailer's sandwich in the same variety.”

The British Sandwich Association said salt is in the ingredients used in the sandwich and it was not up to the industry to dictate to consumers what they eat.

CASH said the research showed that it is possible for manufacturers to reduce salt content and one of the easiest ways of doing so would be to change the bread.

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Duck Destructor	06 Jul 2007 10:23:34
A low in salt diet is totally inappropriate for a healthy person, and may cause problems, particularly for the nervous system. With healthy kidneys too much salt is quickly removed and causes no significant issues, except perhaps a dubious connection to bladder cancer. Only people with kidney problems or high-blood pressure need worry about salt. But salt is not the cause of chronic blood-pressure, and studies show only a marginal increase in pressure for a short time. That increase could be lethal in the case of very high, chronic blood-pressure patient. The official salt advice stems from the fact that many such people do not know they have this problem. For the rest of us it is a useless and potentially dangerous strategy.