Common Household Staples Contain Surprisingly High Levels of Salt, Analysis Finds

Many everyday pantry items, such as hot chocolate, sweet chilli sauce, and even cottage cheese, are laden with high levels of salt, according to a recent analysis by consumer group Which?. The findings highlight how easily individuals can exceed recommended daily salt intake through common food choices.

The analysis revealed that Blue Dragon chilli sauce contains more salt in a typical serving than two rashers of bacon. Options Hot Chocolate was found to have a salt content comparable to a bag of ready salted crisps. Barilla Genovese Basil Pesto also ranked high, with a single portion containing the equivalent of three packets of crisps.

These products were flagged as potentially misleading, especially those marketed as healthier options. For instance, Chia Charge protein bars were found to have as much salt as three handfuls of salted peanuts. Lentil chips, often chosen as a lower-calorie alternative to potato crisps, contained twice the amount of salt as regular crisps and roughly the same as a pack of Frazzles.

Overall, the investigation examined 47 popular products across eight categories: sweet chilli sauce, pesto, hot chocolate, houmous, cottage cheese, nut butters, lentil crisps, and protein bars. Just over half of the products analyzed were found to have high salt content.

According to the UK's traffic light system for food labeling, products with over 1.5g of salt per 100g are considered high. The analysis indicates that many consumers may be unaware of the salt content in these everyday items. High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects over a third of Britons and is a significant risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. Salt consumption is a major contributor to hypertension, as it causes the body to retain water, increasing blood volume and pressure on blood vessel walls.

The NHS recommends a daily salt intake of 6g, but average adult consumption in England is around 8.4g.

Which? nutritionist Shefalee Loth commented on the findings, stating, "Salt can be surprisingly easy to overlook, particularly in foods we might think of as being healthy, such as protein bars, lentil crisps, cottage cheese and pesto." She advised consumers to check the salt content per 100g and be mindful of portion sizes to make more informed choices.

The analysis also provided a list of lower-salt alternatives within each category, encouraging consumers to opt for healthier choices such as Sainsbury's Sweet Chilli Sauce, Tesco Red Pesto, pure cocoa powder for hot chocolate, Whole Earth 100% Nuts for nut butters, and specific reduced-fat houmous and cottage cheese options. Nakd Cherry and Cocoa Hazelnut bars were noted for their exceptionally low salt content.