Adults in England are eating as much salt as there is in 22 bags of crisps a day, researchers have said.
Analysis by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) published on Tuesday found working-age adults eat the equivalent in salt of 155 bags of ready salted, lightly salted or sea salt crisps each week.
It equates to 8.4g of salt every day – 40% – or roughly six packets – more than the officially-recommended maximum of 6g.
BHF senior dietician Dell Stanford said: “Most of the salt we eat is hidden in the food we buy, such as bread, cereals, pre-made sauces and ready meals, so it’s hard to know how much salt we’re consuming.
“This is bad news for our heart health, as eating too much salt significantly increases the risk of high blood pressure, a major cause of heart attacks, strokes and other serious diseases.”
Links to cardiovascular illness
At least 5,000 deaths a year from heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular conditions are linked to having dangerously high levels of salt, which can raise blood pressure, the single biggest cause of heart attacks and strokes.
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Three in 10 adults in the UK are thought to suffer from hypertension – high blood pressure – but around five million do not know they have it.
Campaigners want ministers to take tough action to cut the amount of salt in food, including limits on how much can be added and fines to ensure compliance.
A 32-40g bag of salted crisps typically contains 0.38g of salt.
Mr Stanford urged the government to help families make healthy eating choices by “giving manufacturers an incentive to take out excessive amounts of salt from our food”.
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Most salt ‘is in food we buy’
Reducing salt intake is “one of the simplest, most cost-effective actions any government can take to improve population health,” according to Sonia Pombo from campaign group Action On Salt.
She said it is easy for consumers to change as “the vast majority of salt in our diets comes from the food we buy, not what we add at the table. That means the most effective action must focus on the food industry”.
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Ms Pombo called for “legally binding salt reduction targets across all food categories”, linked to sanctions for non-compliance and levies on foods that exceed maximum salt thresholds.
Compulsory front-of-pack labelling would also help consumers clearly identify products high in salt, she added.
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A Department of Health spokesperson said it is “taking strong action to tackle health problems caused by poor diet as part of our 10-year health plan, which will shift the focus of care from sickness to prevention”.
Measures include restricting junk food advertising and limiting volume price promotions on less healthy foods.
