A warning has been issued over popular high street sandwiches with "alarmingly high" levels of salt, approaching those found in McDonald's burgers. Gail's, Pret, Tesco, and Sainsbury's have all been criticised in a new report.
Research Findings
New research from Salt and Sugar analysed 546 options, including wraps, rolls and baguettes. It found that one in 10 exceed health targets for daily intake of salt and overall calories. The report also revealed that almost half would carry a red ("high") warning label for salt on their packaging.
The worst offender was the Gail's smoked chicken caesar club, containing 6.88g of salt, which equates to five McDonald's cheeseburgers or 10 rashers of bacon. Other problematic sandwiches include Pret's ham and greve baguette (3.85g), Tesco's fully loaded hot honey halloumi, falafel, and pickled slaw (3.78g), and Sainsbury's kitchen deli pastrami, cheddar cheese and gherkin mustard mayo (3.67g).
Expert Reaction
Sonia Pombo, head of research and impact at Action on Salt & Sugar, said: "Most people choose sandwiches for lunch for their simplicity, convenience and affordability. But what they're actually eating can be a full day's worth of salt hidden between two slices of bread. More than 20 years after the first set of salt reduction targets were introduced, it's frankly unacceptable that some companies continue to sell sandwiches that exceed an adult's daily limit in one go. Voluntary action has been allowed to drift for too long, and the result is a food environment that continues to put public health at risk. The Labour Party Government must now step in with tough, mandatory measures, because leaving this to industry goodwill has clearly failed."
Positive Examples
Among retailers, Asda and Lidl achieved full compliance to the salt targets for sandwiches, while Starbucks and Greggs provided the lowest average salt levels in the out-of-home sector, with full compliance with both salt and calorie targets.
Health Context
UK adults consume 8.4g of salt a day on average, 40 per cent above the maximum limit, with much of it hidden in processed, pre-packed and out-of-home foods such as sandwiches. The NHS advises: "Adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day (around 1 level teaspoon). This includes the salt that's already in our food and the salt added during and after cooking."
