A new survey has found that there is more salt in many McDonald's salads than there is in a Big Mac and large fries.
According to data compiled by from Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH), 19% of readymade salads for sale on the high street contain more than half the recommended allowance of salt per adult. In two cases, fast food chains’ salads carry an adult's entire daily recommended allowance.
CASH examined the salt content of 81 high street salads available from a range of fast food outlets and supermarkets. The list included McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC.
CASH's figures showed that McDonald’s Crispy chicken salad with pasta plus low fat Newman's Own light French dressing and croutons featured 5.9 g salt, while the chain's Crispy chicken ranch salad plus low fat Newman's Own light Caesar dressing and croutons contained 6.2g. The recommended salt intake for an adult in the UK is 6g per day. In comparison, there are 3.04g salt in a Big Mac and large fries.
In total, six of the ten salads in McDonald's range exceeded the 3g mark. KFC's Zinger salad and Zinger crunch without dressing salads fared badly, weighing in at 5.1g and 4.2g respectively. Also on the top ten offenders list were Eat's Thai noodle salad (4.45g) and Prêt a Manger's houmous and feta salad bowl (3.8g).
In addition, CASH noted that 39 of the 81 salads surveyed featured no on-pack information about salt content, while only 18 flagged up salt per serving data.
Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of CASH and Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at St George’s Hospital in London said: "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. These salads must be clearly labelled with the salt content per serving and if it is more than 3g of salt per serving they should carry a clear health warning."
In contrast, Burger King's LA garden salad came in at just 0.8g salt, while Eat's Crayfish and Avocado measured just 0.63g
