Hidden salt in 'Free From' foods revealed
24 September 2009
New research by St George’s-based campaign group Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) has revealed that many wheat and dairy-free foods sold in supermarkets contain much more salt than their standard counterparts. In one case, the ‘Free From’ version contained more than six times as much salt.
CASH surveyed 71 supermarket own-label products from ‘Free From’ ranges, where the products were free from gluten, wheat or dairy. These were compared to the retailer’s standard version of each product. Over half (40 products/56.3 per cent) of the Free From products surveyed had higher salt levels than the standard version, while less than a third (19 products/26.7 per cent) had lower salt levels.
Sainsbury’s Free From Jaffa Cakes were found to have 0.67g of salt per 100g – more than six times the 0.1g in the standard version. Morrison’s Chocolate Chip Cookies contained 0.5g of salt per 100g, while their Free From version had 1.5g – three times as much. ASDA Free From Double Chocolate Muffins also had more than three times as much salt as their regular equivalent, with 1g per 100g as opposed to 0.3g.
“Many people in the UK suffer from food allergies such as Coeliac Disease,” said Katharine Jenner, Nutritionist and CASH Campaign Manager. “Sufferers are unable to tolerate gluten, a protein found in grains such as wheat. Many other people also follow a wheat or dairy-free diet through choice as they feel that they are intolerant to these ingredients. But we don’t think they should be risking their health further by consuming high-salt Free From products. Many of the products we surveyed were cakes, biscuits and pastries, which people probably wouldn’t expect to have any salt in them at all, so it’s all the more shocking to find such large differences between the standard and Free From versions.
“Interestingly, some of the Free From products we surveyed had lower levels of salt than their standard counterparts, which shows that there is no technical reason why Free From products have to have higher salt levels. We would encourage people to choose the lower salt products in our survey and they can find this information on our website.”
“Keeping salt consumption below the recommended maximum limit of 6g a day for adults is vital for all of us,” said Graham MacGregor, Chairman of CASH and Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at St George's. “Salt puts up our blood pressure, which is the major risk factor for strokes, heart failure and heart disease, the leading causes of death and disability in the UK.
“In general, it has been the supermarket own-label products that have led the way in salt reduction, but it seems that own-label products for people with existing health problems have not been a top priority for the retailers. They must now reformulate the higher-salt products immediately, so that people suffering from Coeliac disease or other related conditions do not have to put their health in further jeopardy.”
For the full survey results, go to the CASH website at www.actionsalt.org.uk
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