Adults in England eat as much weekly salt as in 155 bags of crisps, BHF says

An analysis by the British Heart Foundation found adults in England consume the same amount of salt every week as is found in 155 bags of crisps, which the charity said equates to about 22 bags a day of ready salted, lightly salted or sea salt crisps. The BHF said adults in England consume on average 8.4g of salt a day, 40% more than the government’s recommended maximum of 6g; the difference was equivalent to the salt in six bags of crisps.

A 32–40g bag of salted crisps typically contains 0.38g of salt. The charity warned that most salt is hidden in foods such as bread, cereals, pre-made sauces and ready meals. "Most of the salt we eat is hidden in the food we buy," said Dell Stanford, a senior BHF dietitian, adding: "This is bad news for our heart health, as eating too much salt significantly increases the risk of high blood pressure, a major cause of heart attacks, strokes and other serious diseases." The report said eating dangerously high amounts of salt contributes to at least 5,000 deaths a year in the UK from heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular conditions, and that three in 10 adults are thought to have hypertension while an estimated 5 million are unaware they have it.

Health campaigners urged ministers to take tougher action to cut salt in food, proposing measures including limits on how much can be added and fines for non-compliance.

Key Topics

Health, British Heart Foundation, England, Salt Reduction, Hypertension, Ready Meals