Three out of four consumers are unaware that bread and breakfast cereals are among the saltiest foods in our diet.
According to the Food Standards Agency’s Salt Survey, 75% of the salt we eat comes from everyday food.
The top three salt-contributing foods are bread, followed by meat products, then breakfast cereals.
But when asked to name the top three salty foods from a list of the 10 that contribute the most salt to our diets, only 13% of people mentioned bread, and 12% breakfast cereals.
The foods most commonly mentioned were crisps and snacks (73%), ready meals (65%) and meat products
(36%).
The Food Standards Agency’s new advertising campaign on TV, radio and in print, which goes live today (5 October 2009), urges people to pay closer attention to the salt levels in the foods they buy.
The campaign features foods that contribute significantly to the salt intakes of UK adults and children.
The FSA said salt levels vary across brands, so a simple way to reduce the amount of salt we eat is to choose the ones that are lower in salt.
The survey also found that many people (40%) believed supermarket value ranges were higher in salt than other ranges. However, this did not necessarily apply and sometimes the cheapest were among the lowest in salt.
The FSA said supermarket own-label versions foods, including bread, were often lower in salt than branded products.
The survey also found that 85% of people tend to stick to the same brands of foods they buy regularly, such as bread, ketchup and breakfast cereals.
However, a quarter of these people said they would change from their usual brand if they knew that a lower salt option was available.
Almost 40% of respondents were either ‘very concerned’ or ‘quite concerned’ about the amount of salt they eat.
Rosemary Hignett, head of nutrition at the Food Standards Agency, said: “Salt intakes are coming down, but if we are to get closer to meeting our target of reducing intakes to 6g a day, people need to become more aware of the foods which contribute to intakes, as it isn’t just the obvious things we need to watch out for as far as salt is concerned.
‘We’re not suggesting people stop eating or even cut down on bread or breakfast cereals, because they are an important part of a healthy diet. But we are saying take a look at the labels to find one that is lower in salt.”
