Surveys show wide range of salt levels

Sunday 4 July 2004

Two surveys carried out by the Food Standards Agency have found that salt levels in pizzas, baked beans and tinned pasta vary widely between brands.

One children's pizza was found to contain almost three times as much salt as a rival brand, while some standard tins of baked beans had two-thirds the salt of other comparable tins.

Some manufacturers have reduced the salt levels in their products since these surveys were carried out, but levels still need to fall across the full range of processed food for people to reduce their salt consumption to the recommended maximum level of 6 grams a day by 2010 (the Agency's target date for this reduction).

Sir John Krebs, Chair of the Agency, said: 'Foods such as baked beans, spaghetti and pizza are products that families rely on – 75% of our daily salt intake comes from salt hidden in products such as these, and not from salt that we add ourselves.

'The fact that the salt in one can of baked beans, or a pizza, can vary so dramatically indicates that manufacturers can reduce the amount of salt they add to these products. The Food Standards Agency wants to see more substantial reductions in salt in food products.'

Scientific research links high levels of salt in the diet to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. High blood pressure is a cause, or a contributing factor, in more than 170,000 deaths each year in England alone. The recommended maximum level of salt intake for adults is 6g a day and proportionally lower for children. On average, adults are currently consuming about 9.5g a day.

The Agency is working closely with industry to secure further commitments to reducing salt in processed foods