Although sodium is an important part of a balanced diet, a recent Australian study has found that we’re eating far too much of it.
Nearly 1,500 ready made meals from Woolworths, Coles, ALDI and IGA were analysed for their salt content – with the research finding that some meals contained almost a whole day’s worth of salt in one serve.
Eating excessive amounts of sodium over time can increase your health risks, with 75 per cent of the salt we already eat being added to our food before we buy it.
Although sodium is an important part of a balanced diet, a recent Australian study has found that we’re eating far too much of it (stock image)
Brubecks Boutique Foods Kato Organic Soba Noodles Salad with Teriyaki Dressing has the highest salt content in chilled ready meals
We are aware that the obvious culprits, such as popcorn, chips and bacon, have a high salt content but many would be surprised to find out that ready made supermarket meals contain a shockingly high salt content.
The research by The George Institute as part of the Unpack The Salt Campaign found that some meals – including Kraft’s Deluxe Mac & Cheese – contained almost a whole day’s worth of salt in just one serve, with the average ready meal containing 50 percent of an adult’s recommended daily salt intake.
Health experts recommend that we should be eating 6g of salt (2400mg of sodium) a day, which is approximately a teaspoon, but Australians are eating about double this.
The Good Meal Co. Gluten Free Risotto Primavera (pictured left) and the McCain Healthy Choice Lemon Chicken with Asian Veg and Rice (right) are some of the lowest in salt out of the frozen ready meals
CP Authentic Asia Prawn Wonton Tom Yum Soup with Ramen (pictured left) and Super Nature Middle Eastern Chicken with Quinoa Tabbouleh (right) are frozen meals high in salt
Salt is used as a preservative in food manufacturing so the best way to avoid a high salt intake is by eating as fresh food as possible.
HuffPost Australia spoke to Clare Farrand, The George Institute’s public health nutritionist and senior project manager for Salt Reduction.
‘At the moment we’re all eating too much salt around the world,’ Clare said.
John West Tuna and Rice Chilli and Tomato (pictured left) and Sun Rice Street Snack Chicken Satay (right) have some of the lowest salt levels out of ambient ready meals
Harvest Braised Steak and Onion (pictured left) and Kraft Deluxe Mac & Cheese (right) have the two highest amount of salt out of the ambient meals
| PRODUCT NAME | SERVING SIZE (g) | SODIUM (mg/100g) | SALT (g/100g) | SALT PER SERVE (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Deluxe Mac & Cheese | 226.0 | 783 | 1.96 | 4.42 |
| Harvest Braised Steak and Onion | 212.5 | 638 | 1.60 | 3.39 |
| Wokka Shelf Fresh Noodles with Mi Goreng Sauce | 350.0 | 630 | 1.58 | 5.51 |
| Maharajah’s Choice Dhal Makhani | 141.5 | 590 | 1.48 | 2.09 |
| Podravka Beef Goulash | 150.0 | 535 | 1.34 | 2.01 |
| PRODUCT NAME | SERVING SIZE (g) | SODIUM (mg/100g) | SALT (g/100g) | SALT PER SERVE (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Rice Street Snack Chicken Satay | 200 | 170 | 0.43 | 0.85 |
| Asia Specialities Hokkien Noodles with Peanut Satay Sauce | 330 | 179 | 0.45 | 1.48 |
| SunRice Thai Style Chicken Satay Curry with Rice | 350 | 193 | 0.48 | 1.69 |
| John West Tuna and Rice Chilli and Tomato | 200 | 194 | 0.49 | 0.97 |
| John West Tuna Brown Rice & Quinoa Thai Red Curry | 200 | 195 | 0.49 | 0.98 |
‘The average ready meal contains about half of our daily recommended maximum salt intake, and that’s just in one meal – we usually have three meals a day so this would certainly push us over our daily recommended limit.
‘Even more staggering is some of the ready meals we surveyed contained an entire day’s worth of salt in a single meal.
‘These meals don’t necessarily taste salty so many people aren’t aware of how much salt the product really contains.’
The Fresh Fodder Mild Chicken and Rice Curry (pictured left) and the My Pasta Box Classic Tomato and Basil Penne (right) have the two lowest amounts of salt out of the chilled meals
| PRODUCT NAME | SERVING SIZE (g) | SODIUM (mg/100g) | SALT (g/100g) | SALT PER SERVE (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CP Authentic Asia Prawn Wonton Tom Yum Soup with Ramen | 322 | 595 | 1.49 | 4.79 |
| Super Nature Middle Eastern Chicken with Quinoa Tabbouleh | 350 | 504 | 1.26 | 4.41 |
| On the Menu All Day Breakfast | 320 | 491 | 1.23 | 3.93 |
| Super Nature Chicken Pad Thai with Rice Noodles | 350 | 490 | 1.23 | 4.29 |
| On the Menu Beef Schnitzel | 320 | 405 | 1.91 | 3.24 |
| PRODUCT NAME | SERVING SIZE (g) | SODIUM (mg/100g) | SALT (g/100g) | SALT PER SERVE (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sultan’s Kitchen Butter Chicken | 250 | 84 | 0.21 | 0.53 |
| McCain Healthy Choice Lemon Chicken with Asian Veg and Rice | 350 | 90 | 0.23 | 0.79 |
| The Good Meal Co. Gluten Free Risotto Primavera | 375 | 94 | 0.24 | 0.88 |
| Super Nature Beef, Kale and Red Quinoa Lasagne | 350 | 129 | 0.32 | 1.13 |
| International Cuisine Beef in Red Wine Sauce with Mash | 300 | 130 | 0.33 | 0.98 |
Food that is considered to be low salt is a meal that contains less than 130mg per 100 grams.
It has been revealed that the meal with the highest amount of salt out of the ones studied is Kraft’s Deluxe Mac & Cheese, with contains 783 mg of sodium and 1.96g of salt in each 100g.
The meal with the lowest amount of salt was the Sun Rice Street Snack Chicken Satay with 170 mg of sodium and 0.43g of salt in each 100g.