“Shockingly” salty salads on UK high street, lobby group calls for action

19 Jun 2018 --- A nationwide product survey by UK lobby group Action on Salt highlights the high salt and saturated fat levels of restaurant, retail and fast food salads. The group, based at the Wolfson Institute, Barts & The London, Queen Mary University of London, found that the salt content of salads bought from restaurants, sandwich/coffee shops and fast food outlets has increased by 13 percent since they were last surveyed in 2014 (from 1.65g to 1.86g per serving on average), flagging “a distinct lack of commitment” from the food industry to reduce salt, according to the group.

“Consumers are likely to think that salt in their diet comes from items that actually taste salty, such as snack foods, and will, therefore, be unaware that there is salt lurking in their go-to 'healthy choice.' A salad is supposed to be a healthy and tasty meal, but food manufacturers and restaurants continue to add unnecessary salt to the dish, which not only alters the taste and makes you feel bloated, but more seriously, can lead to high blood pressure – the main cause of strokes and heart attacks,” Mhairi Brown, Nutritionist at Action on Salt tells NutritionInsight.

“It’s clear that Public Health England's (PHE) voluntary salts targets are not working,” she adds.

More than a third (36 percent) of the 213 restaurants, sandwich/coffee shop and fast food salads surveyed contained 2g of salt or more per salad. 

Of the retail salads, Marks and Spencers (M&S) Teriyaki Chicken Sticky Rice Salad was named the saltiest, with 3.5g per pack. In response, an M&S spokesperson told NutritionInsight, “Our wide variety of salads include some recipes that use authentic ingredients like soy sauce which have naturally higher salt content. Healthier options are clearly labeled with our Eat Well logo to help customers to manage their diet and the salt content is clearly labeled on pack. We are committed to continuing to review the salt in our products, reformulating where possible and over 82 percent of our products already meet Department of Health salt targets.” 

Essentially, “Action on Salt will continue to put pressure on PHE to take more robust action. The UK was once leading the world on salt reduction - between 2003 and 2011 the nation's salt intake was lowered by 1.5g per day preventing 18,000 strokes and heart attacks per year, 9,000 of which were fatal, with £1.5 billion (US$2 billion) a year in National Health Service (NHS) healthcare saving costs. In 2016, PHE assumed responsibility for UK salt reduction, however so far there has been little action, with no progress report on whether the last set of salt targets (due to be met by the end of 2017) have been reached,” Brown adds.

Nutrition information on packaging
The survey also identified that although nutrition information was available at the majority (15/21) of the restaurant and fast food chains included in the survey (either on pack, on the shelf label or at the counter on request) only one chain (Costa) provided full color-coded nutrition information. Without this information readily available at their disposal, the lobby group claims that consumers struggle to know which options contain the least amount of salt. This demonstrates the need for clear consistent nutrition labeling in restaurants and fast food outlets to help customers compare products and make healthier choices, they add.

Saturated fat
In addition to salt, the survey also found salads to contain high amounts of saturated fat (saturates), with some containing almost an entire day’s worth, for example. Aldi’s Just Tasty Cheese Layered Salad, 380g, contains 53.2g fat – more than three-quarters of an adult’s maximum recommended intake and 16.7g saturates (84 percent of the maximum recommended intake). In contrast, Sainsbury’s On the Go Cheese & Tomato Pasta, 300g contains 18.6g fat and 4.5g saturates. 

“Up to 75 percent of our salt intake comes from salt added to food by manufacturers and this survey demonstrates just how easy it is to unwittingly eat excess salt, with such high amounts added to our go-to ‘healthy’ choice of salads. This survey highlights the urgent need for Public Health England to reinvigorate the UK’s salt reduction strategy,” concludes Sarah Alderton, Nutritionist at Action on Salt. 

By Laxmi Haigh