Not quite a walk in the park: A quarter of picnic foods are “dangerously salty,” says lobby group

16 Aug 2019 --- A quarter of savory UK picnic foods are dangerously high in salt, while over a third exceed their average salt targets, according to a new survey by Action on Salt, a group based at Queen Mary University of London. Additionally, almost a third of products have no color-coded front-of-pack (FoP) labeling, which Action on Salt says makes it harder for consumers to find a healthy option. The group is now calling for compulsory FoP nutritional labeling on all food products and for bold and comprehensive salt reduction targets to be set in 2020.

“Salt is added in a large number of foods, and we found picnic options to be no different. Some were extremely high in salt, which could increase your daily salt intake. Prolonged consumption of excess salt over a long period of time will raise your blood pressure and increase your risk of suffering from heart attacks and strokes,” Sonia Pombo, Campaign Lead for Action on Salt, tells NutritionInsight.

The research analyzed 555 savory picnic finger foods available from retailers and found that olives were particularly bad offenders. “While it is not surprising that olives are salty, the salt content of certain products are dangerously high. Aldi Specially Selected Hand Stuffed Halkidiki Olives 150g have 5g of salt per 100g, which is double the salt concentration of seawater and 1.9g of salt per portion – that’s a third of an adult’s daily-recommended limit of salt in just five olives,” Pombo explains.

Aside from olives, other salt offenders with the highest salt per portion include Ginsters Cornish Pasty (272g) with 2.99g of salt per portion, equivalent to seven portions of salted peanuts and Aldi Eat & Go Sausages & Ketchup with 2.2g per portion, which is as much salt as 4.5 bags of ready salted potato chips.

“The level of salt added to some of these foods is completely unnecessary, and consumers do not have a choice in the amount of salt added by the food companies. Companies add salt to their foods for a number of reasons, mainly for taste and palatability and for preservation purposes. The variation in salt content found in these foods demonstrates that they are not needed in such high amounts, as their competitors have been able to use less,” continues Pombo.

A potential vegetarian picnic basket has less saturated fat but is saltier than a meat version.

Front-of-Pack labeling failure
In addition to almost a third of products having no color-coded FoP labeling, many consumers buy products at the deli counter where no nutrition labeling is available. Action on Salt argues that most large organizations already have this information on hand, so it would be simple to pass this on to consumers to enable them to make responsible decisions. The group is calling for the government to make this mandatory on all food and drinks in the out-of-home sector.

The group is also recommending that mandatory color-coded labels are enforced and that companies are held accountable in order to drive reformulation and healthier product development. “Nutrition tables on back-of-pack are mandatory under EU legislation; however, color-coded FoP nutrition labeling is optional. Research has shown that FoP color-coded labeling is more helpful to consumers in making healthier food choices. Additionally, in 2013, the Department of Health created guidance in creating FoP labels for pre-packed products sold in retail, in the hope that all manufacturers would get on board,” Pombo explains.

She adds that this survey highlights just how easy it is for consumers to unknowingly eat huge amounts of salt and saturated fat in savory snacks and picnic favorites. “Food manufacturers must get on board with our efforts to improve the nation’s health. We found a large variation in the salt content of product categories proving reformulation is easily achievable. We want to see the food industry disclosing nutritional information clearly on FoP on all products so everyone can easily find healthier options,” she concludes.

This is critical as salty foods continue to claim lives. Ten thousand cardiovascular disease cases and 1,500 stomach cancer cases in the UK were recently found to be linked to the high salt content of foods. The researchers noted that since industry regulations were relaxed in 2011, the national decline in salt intake stalled significantly. 

By Katherine Durrell

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