Salt warning for children’s food
23 June 2006

Children's favourite foods could contain up to double the recommended amount of salt, says a recent survey, which may be of particular concern to parents of children with asthma.

The Trading Standards Institute warned parents of the huge variation in the amounts of salt and fat contained in some foods after analysing levels in 279 foods popular with children. It has called on the food industry to standardise content labels in a readily understandable format.

The relationship between diet and asthma symptoms is a rich vein of research for scientists: studies have looked at how a variety of different foodstuffs and nutrients may affect asthma symptoms, including fruit and vegetables, oily fish and trace minerals.

The link between salt intake and asthma symptoms has been investigated in a number of studies. One such project is being led by Dr Andrew Fogarty at Nottingham University, who is closely examining the effects of a low-sodium diet on asthma symptoms. Asthma UK is funding the study, the results of which could provide further evidence for a public health intervention to decrease the amount of salt consumed nationally.

In 2005, researchers from Indiana University found that reducing salt intake for two weeks helped to reduce symptoms and improve lung function in people with exercise induced asthma.

Further anecdotal evidence of the benefits of a healthy diet was provided during the TV series Jamie’s School Dinners, as teaching staff described how, after trading junk food for a fresh, unprocessed menu at lunchtime, children with asthma used their reliever inhalers less.

Variation in nutritional values

The foods studied by Trading Standards included breakfast cereals, lunch box foods, crisps, desserts, sweets, ready meals, pizzas and tinned products such as beans and spaghetti. They revealed a wide variation in nutritional values in similar foods - with the amount of salt in ready-made meals varying from just a trace to 6.9g.

The UK government recommends that children eat only 2g of salt a day from one to two years; up to 3g a day for four- to six-year-olds and a limit of 5g a day for seven- to ten-year-olds.

Children who eat food with the highest salt content analysed could be consuming 13.5g of salt - more than twice the maximum recommended level for seven- to ten-year-olds and four and a half times the amount for four- to six-year-olds.

Salt content is usually listed as sodium on food labels – it is sodium in salt that can be bad for health. To calculate the actual weight of the salt you are consuming, multiply the sodium content of the food you eat by 2.5. the Food Standards Agency's website includes a salt calculator to help you work out your levels.

‘Our survey indicates that there is a wide difference in the amounts of salt and fat present in similar types of foods,’ said Phil Thomas of the Trading Standards Institute. ‘Parents should check the amount when choosing pre-packed food - and look at the actual amount that will be consumed by eating that product, rather than the content per 100g,’ he explained.

‘Reducing salt in our diets is thought to be beneficial for many reasons, and the possibility that it may improve asthma symptoms is something Asthma UK is keen to explore’, said Dr Lyn Smurthwaite, Asthma UK's Research Development Manager.

‘We know that many processed foods contain high levels of salt. With this in mind it would make sense for people with asthma to try to eat more fresh foods as these are likely to contain lower levels,' she concluded.