BDA Press Centre
26th February 2010
Salt in Soup
New research carried out by Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) shows that many soups on sale in the UK, particularly some well known brands and those from popular high street café's, still contain high levels of salt
Lucy Jones Dietitian and spokesperson for the BDA said ‘I saw a patient last week who was unaware they were having too much salt because they didn’t eat junk food or ready meals or add it in cooking. But in fact about 75% of the salt we eat comes from everyday foods such as bread, some breakfast cereals, dairy products such as cheese soups, sauces and meat products like sausages – so it’s easy to eat too much salt without adding any yourself. In fact, this patient was eating on average 9-10g / day compared to the 6g/day recommended.’
CASH states that reducing our salt intakes to 6g / day could prevent 19,000 deaths from strokes and heart attacks in the UK alone each year. High intakes linked to strokes, heart disease, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, obesity, kidney stones and kidney disease.
Key points from the survey include:
- One quarter of the soups assessed by CASH don’t meet FSA targets for 2010 (0.6g per 100g). Supermarkets are winning the race against branded products with respect to this target.
- Currently supermarket own label products often lower in salt than branded products.
- A Big Mac and chips contains 2.7g salt - many common soups exceed this level.
- Reducing 2.5g salt from your diet will reduce your risk of having a stroke or heart attack by one quarter.
- Difficult for consumers – so many health messages out there. Minefield finding foods that meet all targets. Need a combined effort with industry so that the right choices are easier to make.
Tips for reducing salt
The BDA fact sheet on salt and health is available from this website.
- Read labels wherever possible. Compare products – boycott high salt brands
- Ideally make your own soup – use variety of ingredients and cook in bulk.
- Alternate with different lunches such as Jacket Potato, pasta / rice salad
- Eat a varied diet with a balance of foods in line with the Eat Well plate
- Dietitians can help people identify the main sources of salt in their diet and make positive changes easy without affecting taste.
- Many health messages are out there. Dietitians can help to put them into perspective and give practical tips and advice. People need a healthy balance – not too focused on any area. Aim to have knowledge of what constitutes a healthy diet, eating lots of fresh unprocessed foods with maximum variety.
- Keep salt off the table and try to avoid in cooking.