Fast Food Salt "Outrageously High"

Having a meal at a fast food restaurant could expose a child to huge amounts of salt - in many cases well over their maximum daily limit - according to a new study.

Research by Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) surveyed a total of 346 individual food and drink items and 264 advertised meal combinations from Burger King, KFC, McDonalds and Pizza Hut.

The survey found that a family of four sharing a Pizza Hut meal deal - comprising one Cheesy Bites Meat Feast, one Medium Pan Supreme, a portion of garlic bread, a portion of potato wedges, a portion of saucy buffalo chicken wings and four individual vanilla cheesecakes - could eat 12.3g of salt each.

This is over twice the daily recommended maximum level of 6g for an adult, two-and-a-half times the limit for a ten-year-old (5g) and more than four times the 3g limit for a six-year-old.

Jo Butten, CASH nutritionist, said: "If you are taking your children out for a 'treat' this half term, I would say it is better to go to McDonald's or Burger King rather than Pizza Hut, which serves food outrageously high in unnecessary salt.

“Opt for meals without added cheese and bacon and remember that drinks such as milkshakes and desserts including cheesecake and muffins can contribute quite a lot to your salt intake."

The study also found that a KFC Deluxe Boneless Box shared between four people could contain 5.2g of salt per person, while a family of four sharing a KFC Family Feast - consisting of eight chicken pieces, four regular fries, a large portion of BBQ beans, a large coleslaw and a 1.5 litre Pepsi - could eat 5.2g of salt per person.

The research also included 21 menu items and 48 meal combinations aimed specifically at children. The salt content of the meal combinations varied from 4.3g of salt in a Pizza Hut children's mean, consisting of a chicken wrap and soft drink to 0.6g in a McDonalds Happy Meal of chicken nuggets and a fruit bag.

Carrie Bolt, CASH researcher, said: "We are concerned that Pizza Hut and KFC provide no information in the restaurant at point of sale to tell parents how much salt is in the food.

“There is no way for people to make informed choices before they buy. We are pleased that McDonald's have labelling on their packaging and that Burger King provides leaflets giving the amount of sodium per portion.

“It is also true that all of four outlets surveyed had information on their websites, but we would like to see all fast food outlets displaying nutritional information where people make their food choices.

“All the major supermarkets and most food manufacturers have made great progress in providing clear on-pack salt labelling in the last few years. We would now like to see the same effort being made by restaurants and fast food companies."

Pizza Hut said that they had been working to reduce salt levels in their food since 2004 and claimed that the report had focused on the company's "most indulgent products", while KFC said they had reduced salt levels in their food by up to 30%.

McDonalds also said that they had worked hard to reduce salt levels, while Burger King stressed that their burgers had no added salt.

(KMcA)