Salt in sliced breads tops crisps, say health campaigners
Three out of four sliced breads sold in UK supermarkets have as much salt in a slice as a bag of already salted crisps, new research finds.
The findings have prompted calls for a crackdown on the high amounts of salt found in one of Britain's staple foods, as eating too much of it increases the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Action on Salt, a food research and campaign group, said five types of sliced bread are so salty they contain at least 0.9g per serving of two slices, which is more of the substance than that found in two small packets of McDonald's fries each containing 0.44g.
There is also just as much salt in two slices of Hovis extra thick white bread – 1.2g – like a McDonald's burger.
Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine who chairs Action on Salt, demanded urgent action from the government to combat the "disgrace" of excessive salt levels.
He analyzed the composition of 242 sliced breads made by 28 different companies and sold in 10 of the largest country supermarkets. In 75% of them, a single slice contained at least as much salt as the 0.34g found in a 25g bag of ready-to-eat Salted Walkers Crisps.
Government guidelines recommend that bread should contain a maximum of 1.01g per 100g. However, Action on Salt found that Hovis grain bread contained 1.28g per 100g and seed bread from the same manufacturer contained 1.24g per 100g, while Marks and Spencer's super soft white bread had an unusually high salt content among the white breads studied - 1.03 g. per 100g.
M&S also produces wholemeal bread with lots of salt - their M&S The Bakery Soft Golden Wholemeal Farmhouse Bread contains 1.03g per 100g.
"Reducing salt is the single most cost-effective measure to lower blood pressure and reduce the number of people who die and suffer from strokes and heart disease," MacGregor said , a professor at Queen Mary University of London and campaigner for healthier eating.
"So it's a shame that food companies continue to stuff our food with so much unnecessary salt, like here in bread."
< p class="dcr-n6w1lc">Action on Salt's findings suggest that bread generally contains even more salt than when they looked at a wide range of products in 2011.In a plea to ministers to take decisive action to force food companies to make their products healthier, MacGregor added: 'For too long , the food industry has been in charge of public health, at our expense. It's time the government stopped letting people die unnecessarily."
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 99% of adults worldwide Consume more salt than the maximum 5g per day he recommends. Excess salt consumption leads to around 2 million deaths a year worldwide, he estimates. In England, people typically consume 8.4g per day.
In a report released earlier this month, the WHO warned that the world was unlikely to meet its target of reducing 30% nationwide the amount of salt people consume by 2030.
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As of last October, only 5% of WHO Member States had implemented two of its policies to limit salt intake, "thus demonstrating the massive commitment still needed to approach a level of sodium intake that will not cause unnecessary heart attacks and strokes." p>
Andrew Pyne, Chief Executive of the Bakers Federation, said: "Overall, the bread and bakery category has had great success in reducing the amount of salt in the bread. Over the past 10 years, the industry has achieved a 30% reduction in salt, to less than 1g of salt per 100g of bread.
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Three out of four sliced breads sold in UK supermarkets have as much salt in a slice as a bag of already salted crisps, new research finds.
The findings have prompted calls for a crackdown on the high amounts of salt found in one of Britain's staple foods, as eating too much of it increases the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Action on Salt, a food research and campaign group, said five types of sliced bread are so salty they contain at least 0.9g per serving of two slices, which is more of the substance than that found in two small packets of McDonald's fries each containing 0.44g.
There is also just as much salt in two slices of Hovis extra thick white bread – 1.2g – like a McDonald's burger.
Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine who chairs Action on Salt, demanded urgent action from the government to combat the "disgrace" of excessive salt levels.
He analyzed the composition of 242 sliced breads made by 28 different companies and sold in 10 of the largest country supermarkets. In 75% of them, a single slice contained at least as much salt as the 0.34g found in a 25g bag of ready-to-eat Salted Walkers Crisps.
Government guidelines recommend that bread should contain a maximum of 1.01g per 100g. However, Action on Salt found that Hovis grain bread contained 1.28g per 100g and seed bread from the same manufacturer contained 1.24g per 100g, while Marks and Spencer's super soft white bread had an unusually high salt content among the white breads studied - 1.03 g. per 100g.
M&S also produces wholemeal bread with lots of salt - their M&S The Bakery Soft Golden Wholemeal Farmhouse Bread contains 1.03g per 100g.
"Reducing salt is the single most cost-effective measure to lower blood pressure and reduce the number of people who die and suffer from strokes and heart disease," MacGregor said , a professor at Queen Mary University of London and campaigner for healthier eating.
"So it's a shame that food companies continue to stuff our food with so much unnecessary salt, like here in bread."
< p class="dcr-n6w1lc">Action on Salt's findings suggest that bread generally contains even more salt than when they looked at a wide range of products in 2011.In a plea to ministers to take decisive action to force food companies to make their products healthier, MacGregor added: 'For too long , the food industry has been in charge of public health, at our expense. It's time the government stopped letting people die unnecessarily."
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 99% of adults worldwide Consume more salt than the maximum 5g per day he recommends. Excess salt consumption leads to around 2 million deaths a year worldwide, he estimates. In England, people typically consume 8.4g per day.
In a report released earlier this month, the WHO warned that the world was unlikely to meet its target of reducing 30% nationwide the amount of salt people consume by 2030.
after newsletter promotion
As of last October, only 5% of WHO Member States had implemented two of its policies to limit salt intake, "thus demonstrating the massive commitment still needed to approach a level of sodium intake that will not cause unnecessary heart attacks and strokes." p>
Andrew Pyne, Chief Executive of the Bakers Federation, said: "Overall, the bread and bakery category has had great success in reducing the amount of salt in the bread. Over the past 10 years, the industry has achieved a 30% reduction in salt, to less than 1g of salt per 100g of bread.
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