Bread study – excessive salt content

Some supermarket loaves contain as much salt in a single slice of bread as there is in a whole bag of crisps, according to a new study.

Research by health campaign group CASH (Consensus Action on Salt and Health), found more than a quarter of loaves sold in supermarkets had a high salt content.Of those, four out of five of the saltiest loaves were brown bread.

And one loaf had a higher proportion of salt content than seawater.

CASH says the hidden salt content could pose a danger to health as people do not realise how much salt they are eating.

The Department of Health has recognised that bread is responsible for a vast amount of salt in the nation’s diet as much as one-fifth of our daily intake.

Campaigners CASH claims bread makers should take steps to reduce the salt content in their products, whilst the Stroke Association told the Daily Telegraph salt can be a key factor in increased stroke risk.

CASH tested 300 loaves of bread across supermarkets and high street bakeries, and found freshly-baked bread often contained higher salt levels than pre-packed loaves.

One loaf of ‘pain de campagne’ had 2.83g of salt per 100g – a higher concentration than saltwater.

Many slices contained more than 1.5g of salt, which could be particularly bad for children as the recommended daily intake of salt is just 3g per day for four to six-year-olds.

That means youngsters could be getting their entire daily recommendation of salt in a single sandwich, or two slices of toast.

The Government is keen to reduce salt, with a target for all loaves of bread to contain no more than 1g per 100g by 2012.

CASH said current salt content in bread was “outrageous” and called for bakeries to do more to cut salt.

The group’s chairman, Prof Graham MacGregor, said: “If all manufacturers went beyond these targets and cut the salt in their breads by half, it would reduce our salt intakes by half a gram per day, which is predicted to prevent more than 3,000 deaths from strokes and heart attacks a year.”