Ready meals sold in Britain may contain more salt than ten portions of McDonald's chips, an audit there has found.
The investigation, carried out by the organisation Action on Salt, analysed the nutritional content of over 1,500 meals sold by more than 30 brands and supermarkets in the UK.
The results showed that the saltiest option contained a staggering 6.1 grams of salt per serving – almost twice as much as seawater, two margarita pizzas (5.2g) or around ten servings of fries at this fast food chain.
By comparison, the NHS (National Health Service in the UK) recommends that adults consume just 6 grams of salt throughout the day – for children the limit is even lower.
One in five ready meals on sale in Britain exceed the recommended daily limits for salt, fat and saturated fat, according to Action on Salt.
Even some meals that seem healthy contain much more of these three nutrients than is recommended.
Experts called the findings of this study "disturbing" and "unacceptable", urging manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt to protect public health.
Excess salt in the body causes water retention in the blood and increases blood pressure.
This, in turn, increases the risk of heart attack or stroke – two of the leading causes of death in Britain, claiming around 160,000 lives each year. In the US, this figure is five times higher.
The research found that all ready meals produced by chef and health food campaigner Jamie Oliver had high salt content – over 1.5g per 100g.
83% of them were also high in fat and saturated fat, and all were low in fiber.
Meanwhile, the saltiest meal was Royal's Cottage Pie, sold by chains such as Sainsbury's, with 6.12g of salt per portion.
Royal also topped the list with the other meal, Chicken Tikka Masala with Turmeric Rice, which contained almost 4.7g of salt per serving.
The Vegetable Lasagne from Iceland's Taste of Italy had 3.9g of salt – over half the recommended daily limit for an adult.
Based on the food chain, Iceland had the highest percentage of salty meals – 86% of their products were high in salt.
They were followed by Aldi (70%), Lidl (64%), and M&S and Sainsbury's (54%) each.
Morrisons performed better, with only 40% of their meals high in salt.
A large variation was also discovered between meals of the same type.
For example, Sainsbury's Free From Spaghetti Bolognese had 4.35g of salt per portion, while Kirsty's Pasta Bolognese Gluten Free had just 0.5g – 8.5 times less.
Charlie Bingham's modern and "trendy" meals were not far behind Jamie Oliver's - 91% of them were high in salt.
Of the 1,511 meals analyzed:
56% were high in salt
42% high in saturated fat
71% low in fiber
1 in 5 were both high in fat and salt
Sonia Pombo, research director at Action on Salt, said that voluntary salt reduction targets set in 2006 are not working:
"With over half of meals containing unacceptable levels of salt, consumers' health is at serious risk, often without even realizing it."
"It shouldn't be so difficult to eat healthily. The government should step in with mandatory salt reduction targets and sanctions for non-compliance."
Dr. Pauline Swift, chair of Blood Pressure UK, also called for action:
"Excessive salt in the diet is directly linked to increased blood pressure – the biggest risk factor for stroke, heart disease and kidney disease – all of which are preventable."
“The government must act now to set tougher salt reduction targets.”
Prof. Bryan Williams OBE, chief executive officer at the British Heart Foundation, added:
"These worrying data show that it is not always easy to find ready-made meals with less salt."
“Food companies need to do more to reduce salt in their products.”
The NHS warns that excess fat, especially saturated fat, raises cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease.
On the other hand, fiber aids in digestion, prevents constipation, and is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer.
Ready meals have now become an integral part of the modern British diet – surveys show that 3 out of 4 people consume at least one a week.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said:
"We are taking action to directly tackle unhealthy diets, including high salt intake, and are shifting the focus from treatment to prevention to ease pressure on the NHS and help people live longer and better."
"We have already given authorizations to block the opening of fast-food restaurants near schools and will soon restrict advertising for unhealthy foods on TV and online."
"Through our plan for change, we will further promote the reduction of salt, sugar and calories in many everyday products."
The analysis by "Action on Salt" was based on products collected during January of this year.
Patrick Cairns, CEO of Charlie Bigham's, defended the formulation of their products:
“At Charlie Bigham's, taste always comes first. We produce the tastiest food possible, listening carefully to customer feedback to improve recipes to suit their tastes.”
However, he added that the company has taken steps to gradually reduce the salt level in its products and that this process will continue. /Express newspaper/
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