Fast food operators are under fire after a study discovered around 20 per cent of ready made salads contained as much salt as a burger and fries.
The report, from Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH), will come as a blow to a sector, which has been keen to reposition its menu offerings down a healthier avenue.
McDonald’s came out worst in the study, with three of its salad products at the top of the table and a further three in the top ten.
Accordng to CASH, which is made up of a group of leading experts on salt and its effects on health, McDonald’s crispy chicken ranch salad contains 6.2g of salt per portion, its crispy chicken salad with pasta had 5.9g while its crispy chicken Caesar salad contains 5.5g.
By comparison, a McDonald’s Big Mac and fries contains just over 3g of salt. Other poor performers in the survey of 81 salads included the chains Eat, Prêt a Manger, KFC, and Iceland.
With the exception of the frozen-food chain, generally supermarkets appear to have performed well in the study, with some of the 10 least saltiest salads coming from Waitrose, Asda, Sainsbury and Tesco. However, Burger King came out on top with its LA garden salad containing only 0.08g of salt.
Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of CASH, said: “Many people think salads, particularly in the summer, are a more healthy option. I don’t understand how manufacturers can justify selling salads that contain over half, or in some cases all, of our daily recommended limit of salt in a single serving.
“No way can these salads be described as a healthy option - one fifth of them contain the same or more salt than a Big Mac and fries.”
He also pointed to the lack of nutritional labeling, with around 39 of the 81 salads surveyed containing no on-pack labeling for salt or sodium, while only 18 had the salt-per-portion quantities on the label.
“These salads must be labeled with the salt content per serving,” said MacGregor. “If it is more than 3g of salt per serving they should carry a clear health warning. It is my view that the public is being misled.”
Despite the better performance of the retailers, CASH said only two out of the 81 salads contained less than 0.5g, which it said could be considered a healthy option.
A statement from McDonalds told media: “We offer a range of options in the Salads Plus range. The salt content varies from 0.25g per portion upwards. All dressings and croutons are in sachets so customers can add as much as they choose.”
The top ten offenders are:
1. McDonald's Crispy chicken ranch salad with Newman's Own light Caesar dressing and croutons - 6.2g
2. McDonald's Crispy chicken salad with pasta and low-fat Newman's Own light French dressing and croutons - 5.9g
3. McDonald's Crispy chicken Caesar salad low-fat Newman's Own light Caesar dressing and croutons, right - 5.5g
4. Kentucky Fried Chicken Zinger crunch salad (without dressing) - 4.2g
5. Eat Thai noodle salad - 4.45g
6. Kentucky Fried Chicken Zinger crunch salad (no dressing) - 4.2g
7. Pret a Manger Houmous and feta salad bowl - 3.8g
8. Iceland Layered salad and cheddar cheese - 3.6g
9. McDonald's Crispy chicken ranch salad without dressing - 3.6g
10. McDonald's Grilled chicken ranch salad with Newman's Own ranch dressing - 3.5g
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