Adults in England consume the same amount of salt per week as is found in 155 bags of crisps, according to a study by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). This equates to 22 bags of ready salted, lightly salted or sea salt crisps every day.
Most of the salt in the diet comes from processed foods such as bread, cereals, sauces and ready meals, said Dell Stanford, a senior BHF dietitian. '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 average adult in England consumes 8.4g of salt daily, 40% above the government's recommended maximum of 6g. Excess salt contributes to at least 5,000 deaths a year in the UK from cardiovascular conditions. Three in 10 adults have hypertension, but an estimated 5 million are unaware.
Campaign group Action on Salt called for legally binding reduction targets and fines for non-compliance. Sonia Pombo, its head of impact and research, said: 'Salt reduction is one of the simplest, most cost-effective actions any government can take to improve population health.' She also advocated for compulsory front-of-pack labelling and a levy on high-salt foods.
The Department of Health said it is restricting advertising of junk food, limiting promotions on unhealthy items, and introducing mandatory reporting on healthier food sales as part of a 10-year health plan.
