'Alarmingly high’ levels of salt found in some of UK’s most popular sandwiches

Some of the UK’s most popular shop-bought sandwiches contain “alarmingly high” levels of salt, with one containing more than the equivalent of almost five McDonald’s cheeseburgers, according to a study.

The charity Action on Salt & Sugar analysed 546 sandwiches, wraps, rolls and baguettes sold in supermarkets and high street chains to find that one in ten exceeded the salt and calorie health targets.

Almost half (44%) would carry a red or “high” salt warning on their front-of-pack labelling, while 32 deliver half or more of an adult’s maximum daily limit in a single serving, it found.

The charity named the Smoked Chicken Caesar Club, sold by upmarket cafe chain Gail’s, as the “worst offender”, finding that it contained a “staggering” 6.88g of salt, equivalent to nearly ten rashers of bacon or five McDonald’s cheeseburgers.

The charity named the Smoked Chicken Caesar Club, sold by upmarket cafe chain Gail’s, as the “worst offender”. / Credit: PA

Adults should consume no more than 6g of salt a day – or around one level teaspoon – according to UK health guidelines.

Furthermore, the sandwich also contains over 1000 calories and 90% of an adult’s maximum daily saturated fat limit, while providing only 20% of an adult’s recommended fibre intake, the study found.

However, the wider picture was equally poor, with researchers finding that a third of sandwiches surveyed would receive a red warning on front-of-pack labelling for saturated fat, and more than one in seven were high in fat, saturated fat and salt simultaneously.

Almost all the sandwiches surveyed (97%) failed to provide even a third of the daily recommended fibre intake.

A quarter of the sandwiches (25%) are classified as “less healthy” under the current 2004/5 Nutrient Profiling Model, limiting how and where they can be promoted to shoppers.

The research found that sandwiches bought out-of-home (OOH) were generally saltier than those sold in supermarkets.

Among the poorest performers with naturally salty or heavily processed ingredients were:

Gail’s Smoked Salmon Bagel with Schmear and Pickled Pink Onions – 4.2g of salt
Paul’s Rosette Cheese Salami Gherkin – 4.19g of salt
Pret A Manger’s Ham & Grevé Baguette – 3.85g per serving
Tesco’s Fully Loaded Hot Honey Halloumi, Falafel and Pickled Slaw -3.78g
Tootoomoo’s Sriracha Pork Sando – 3.67g
Sainsbury’s Kitchen Deli Pastrami, Cheddar Cheese & Gherkin Mustard Mayo -3.67g

All contain more salt than 12 standard bags of ready salted crisps.

However, Action on Salt & Sugar found wide differences in the salt content of similar sandwiches and fillings, such as Pret A Manger’s Chicken Salad Sandwich containing 2.22g of salt, vs Greggs’ Roast Chicken Salad Sandwich containing half as much again with 1.1g of salt.

Similarly, an M&S All Day Breakfast Sandwich contained 2.65g of salt, compared with 1.54g in Sainsbury’s All Day Breakfast Sandwich.

The study also says that several lower-salt products showed that reformulation was “both possible and practical”, including:

Subway’s Veggie Delite Sub – 0.60g of salt
Pret A Manger’s Avo, Olive & Toms Half Baguette – 0.82g
Caffe Nero’s Chicken, Tomato & Basil Hot Wrap – 1.08g
Greggs’ Tuna Mayonnaise & Cucumber Sandwich – 1.1g

There were also “clear examples of companies getting it right”, including every product surveyed from Pollen + Grace, The Gym Kitchen, and Urban Rajah, which all met calorie and salt reduction targets, had no red warning labels on front of pack, and none of their sandwiches was classed as high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS).

Among retailers, Asda and Lidl achieved full compliance with the salt targets for sandwiches, and Starbucks and Greggs provided the lowest average salt levels in the OOH sector, with full compliance with the salt and calorie targets.

Studies suggest that UK adults consume 8.4g of salt a day on average, 40% above the maximum limit, with much of it hidden in processed, pre-packed and out-of-home foods such as sandwiches.

Too much salt raises blood pressure, a leading cause of stroke and a major driver of heart and kidney disease.

Consumers buy 11.5 billion sandwiches across the UK every year.

Sonia Pombo, head of research and impact at Action on Salt & Sugar, said: “Most people choose sandwiches for lunch for their simplicity, convenience and affordability. But what they’re actually eating can be a full day’s worth of salt hidden between two slices of bread.

“More than 20 years after the first set of salt reduction targets were introduced, it’s frankly unacceptable that some companies continue to sell sandwiches that exceed an adult’s daily limit in one go.

“Voluntary action has been allowed to drift for too long, and the result is a food environment that continues to put public health at risk. The Government must now step in with tough, mandatory measures, because leaving this to industry goodwill has clearly failed.”