According to shocking new figures, many everyday foods contain too much salt, despite brands voluntarily agreeing to a deal to reduce levels.
The results highlighted products like chilled ready meals, tinned tomato soup and cheddar cheese as some of the most shocking.
Research carried out by Cash (Consensus Action on Salt and Health) found that 47 percent of the 45 soups investigated had at least the equivalent amount of salt, if not more than two portions of Dominoes margarita pizza.
The soup containing the most salt was Baxters vegetarian Italian tomato and basil, which contained 3.5g of salt per can (400g). This is more than a Big Mac and large fried from McDonalds, which contains a little over 3.1g.
The survey of tinned tomato soups from 2007-2016 discovered that 55 percent of the soups had at least the same amount of salt than they did in 2010.
Some of the largest increased belonged to Sainsbury’s Basics cream of tomato soup (0.48 per 100g – 0.6g per 100g), Baxters Favourites cream of tomato (0.5g per 100g – 0.7g per 100g) and Tesco Everyday Value tomato (0.4g per 100g – 0.6g per 100g).
In addition, Cash examined the salt levels in 201 blocks of cheese and revealed that salt content has remained at around 1.8g per 100g in the last decade, however certain products have shown an increase in salt levels. Sainsbury’s Lighter mature British cheese has increased by 16% since 2012 and Morrisons medium cheddar salt levels have risen by 13%.
As for ready meals, Cash discovered that, from 42 meals tested, the salt content per 100g in a cottage pie increased slightly from 0.52g in 2007 to 0.54g in 2016.
The Co-Operative Truly Irresistible cottage pie saw a rise in salt of 93%, from 1.5g to 2.9g per 400g. Sainsbury’s Basics cottage pie has up to 186% higher salt levels, from 1.5g to 2.9g per 400g.
Although developments have been made in reducing the salt content in cereals, some brands have increased salt levels. Cash discovered that Sainsbury’s cornflakes have seen a 42% increase in current years.
The highest salt content of all the cornflakes examined belonged to Kellogg’s cornflakes, which had three times more salt than Aldi’s Harvest Morn cornflakes.
Cash campaign manager and nutritionist, Sonia Pombo, said that while several food manufacturers began to make a strenuous effort to lower the amount of salt in their food products, others are failing in this and this means the nation’s health is at risk.