REVEALED: Children’s servings of chicken nuggets at fast food restaurants have an entire day’s worth of salt in them – and Hungry Jack’s is nearly twice as bad as McDonald’s
- New report reveals the high levels of salt found in children’s fast food meals
- Hungry Jack’s six-piece nugget meal including chips and sauce contains 3.78g
- Recommended daily salt intake for kids is 3.5g, according to the NHMRC
- McDonald’s ranked second worst with 2.5g salt in cheeseburger Happy Meal
- Meal with the lowest (.98g) was Subway’s Kid’s Pak Veggie Delight Minis Sub
Hungry Jack’s kids meals contain the highest salt content among four major fast food outlets, according to a new report.
A study conducted by the George Institute for Global Health, Vic Health, and the Heart Foundation analysed the salt levels in children’s meals at the burger chain, McDonald’s, KFC and Subway.
Researchers were shocked to learn that children could be consuming an entire day’s maximum recommended salt intake in just one meal.
Hungry Jack’s six-piece chicken nugget kids meal, including chips and dipping sauce, contained a staggering 3.78g of salt – 108 per cent of the recommended daily salt intake for children aged four to eight
Hungry Jack’s kids cheeseburger meal with chips and dipping sauce contained less, but still high
McDonald’s cheeseburger Happy Meal (including fries and water) contains 2.32g
Hungry Jack’s six-piece chicken nugget kids meal, including chips and dipping sauce, contained a staggering 3.78g of salt – 108 per cent of the recommended daily salt intake for children aged four to eight.
Salt levels in the three-piece nugget meal and cheeseburger meal were lower at 2.75g, but still more than half a day’s worth.
McDonald’s ranked as the second worst, after a cheeseburger Happy Meal, with fries and water, was found to have 2.32g, and the crispy snack wrap Happy Meal, slightly less at 1.94g.
KFC’s popcorn chicken kids meal was on the lower end, with 1.58g of salt.
The study also revealed that the salt content of fast foods like chicken nuggets in Australia could be more than twice as salty as similar meals in the UK.
Meals with fries were among the saltiest option.
The lowest salt children’s meal was the Subway Kid’s Pak Veggie Delight Minis Sub which contained 13 per cent of recommended value at .098g
KFC’s popcorn chicken kids meal, with chips, was on the lower end, with 1.58g of salt
The Hungry Jack’s nugget meal was found to contain nearly 1.5 times more salt than that of the UK version.
Of the four outlets analysed, McDonald’s was the only chain that provided apple slices, yoghurt and cherry tomatoes as an alternative to hot chips.
The lowest salt children’s meal was the Subway Kid’s Pak Veggie Delight Minis Sub which contained 13 per cent of a four- to eight-year-old’s daily recommended salt intake.
Heart Foundation dietitian Sian Armstrong said while none of the meals were ‘healthy options’, it was concerning to see some contained more than an entire day’s worth of salt.
‘An alarming 80 per cent of Aussie kids are eating too much salt – with most of it coming from processed food and fast food takeaways,’ Ms Armstrong said.
In response to the findings, Hungry Jack’s told ABC that customers have the option of requesting no salt on their chips to reduce their intake.