Britons are eating the same amount of salt each week that is equivalent to what is in 155 packets of crisps, new research by a leading health charity has revealed.
Working-age adults in England eat an average of 8.4g of salt per day, according to the analysis – 40 per cent more than the government’s recommended maximum of 6g.
The difference between the amount of salt people are eating per day on average compared to the UK national guideline was found to be the same as six packets of ready-salted crisps.
Eating too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, which is linked to half of all heart attacks and strokes. Research suggests that reducing the UK’s average daily salt intake to within World Health Organization (WHO) recommended limits by 2030, which is a maximum of 5g per day, could prevent up to 135,000 new cases of coronary heart disease over 14 years.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF), which conducted the study, is therefore calling for urgent government action to reduce the amount of salt in our food.
Dell Stanford, senior dietitian at the BHF, said: “Most of the salt we eat is hidden in the food we buy, such as bread, cereals, pre-made sauces and ready meals, so it’s often hard to know exactly how much salt we’re consuming.
“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 government must step in to make the healthy choice much easier for families by giving manufacturers an incentive to take out excessive amounts of salt from our food.”
Currently, each day, the average Briton consumes as much salt as would be found in 22 packets of ready salted, lightly salted or sea salt crisps, according to the charity’s analysis of Public Health England data, with the average 32 to 40g bag of crisps found to contain 0.38g of salt.
An estimated 30 per cent of UK adults have high blood pressure, and it is thought that as many as 5 million people do not know they have it. The BHF advises that lowering salt intake is “one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce this risk”.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This government is taking strong action to tackle health problems caused by poor diet as part of our ten-year health plan, which will shift the focus of care from sickness to prevention.
“We are restricting advertising of junk food on TV and online, limiting volume price promotions on less healthy foods, including those high in salt, and introducing mandatory reporting on healthier food sales.”