New report reveals high levels of salt in ready meals

A new report published today by Action on Salt, reveals that supermarkets and food companies are selling a large number of ready meals containing worryingly high levels of salt.

With calls mounting for urgent Government action to improve the nutritional quality of foods, ADPH has joined 30 leading experts and health charities in asking the Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Ashley Dalton MP, for tougher regulation and an end to “voluntary inaction” on unacceptable levels of salt in food.

Greg Fell, ADPH President said:

“In the UK, around five million people are unknowingly living with high blood pressure, a condition often caused by high salt intake and one which can lead to strokes and heart attacks – the two biggest causes of death around the world.

“In order to prevent people from developing these potentially fatal conditions, we need to reduce our salt intake. However, at the moment, there are unnecessarily high levels of salt in a lot of the food we eat.

“Affordable, nutritious food that is lower in salt must become more accessible so that future generations have the freedom to live healthier lives. That means both improving the choice of foods on offer and making the reformulation of products to reduce salt mandatory.

“Not only will this improve individual health but will also reduce pressure on our health and care services, and the economy, by reducing the number of people unable to work and crucially, will help stop the alarming rise in people suffering – and dying – from preventable disease.”