How can a slice of bread be as salty as a packet of French fries

The country’s daily bread can jeopardize health with just one slice of several popular brands containing as much salt as a packet of pre-salted potato chips.

The details come from health activists who say high salt consumption — often through processed foods — leads to high blood pressure, strokes, and other illnesses.

Action on Salt says many big brands and supermarkets are failing to deliver on promises of deep cuts in salt in bread and other products.

The group, which surveyed 242 loaves of prepackaged sliced ​​bread, found that three out of four had as much or more salt per slice than the 0.34g found in a packet of pre-salted potato chips.

Five products contain 0.9g or more of salt in a typical two-chip serving, which works out to the amount higher than the 0.88g found in two small servings of McDonald’s french fries.

Public Health England has set voluntary salt limit targets for the ‘bread and rolls’ category, which are set at a maximum of 0.85g per 100g (averaged across product type) and 1.01g per 100g for an individual product. The target date for achieving this is 2024.

Several products in the survey came in higher than this, including Hovis White with Starter Dough, which contains 1.48g of salt per 100g. Meanwhile, Hovis Granary came in at 1.28g, Hovis Seeded Bread at 1.24g, and Hovis Thick White at 1.2g.

Polish Baltonowski Premium Bread, Chleb Baltonowski, scored 1.3g, while Schneider’s Brut Bread contained 1.15g of salt per 100g of bread.

Two M&S’s, His Thick White Super Soft Loaf and The Bakery Soft Golden Wholemeal Farmhouse, came in at 1.03 grams.

Salt Action is urging Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to follow other countries around the world by setting mandatory salt reduction targets rather than relying on voluntary efforts and promises from manufacturers.

Reducing salt is the most cost-effective measure for lowering blood pressure and reducing the number of people dying and suffering from strokes and heart disease, said Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Queen Mary University of London and chair of Action on Salt.

Therefore, it is a shame that food companies continue to fill our food with so much unnecessary salt, as seen here in baking.

For too long, the food industry has been responsible for public health at our expense; It’s time for the government to stop letting people die needlessly.

Bakers Union CEO Andrew Bean said: ‘Overall, the Bread & Bakery category has been very successful in reducing the amount of salt in bread. Over the past 10 years, the industry has achieved up to a 30 percent reduction in salt.

While the industry continues to do everything it can to reduce the amount of salt in bread, it is important to note that salt is added to bread to improve texture and flavor and to enhance its keeping properties, which is why making further reductions is such a challenge for bread that the baking industry has such a role as salt. An important technology in making bread.

M&S said: ‘We make healthy eating easier with clear labels on packaging, including an Eat Well flower to indicate healthy options.

We naturally enrich all of our pre-packaged slices of bread with vitamin D and fiber, and while salt is essential to the fermentation process, texture and shelf life of our bread, we are actively reducing salt to meet our PHE 2024 salt targets.

“The salt reduction activity is part of our reformulation program to continually improve the nutritional profile of all our foods, and we are committed to introducing more salt reductions across our ranges.”

worst offenders

Hovis White Bread

price: 1.75 pounds sterling

measuring: 450 gr

Calories: 245

fat: 1.7 grams

salt: 1.48 grams

sugar: 3.2 grams

ingredientsStarter Dough (76%) (Containing: Wheat Flour (With Added Calcium, Iron, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B1), Water, Yeast, Sea Salt), Wheat Flour (With Added Calcium, Iron, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B1), Water, Sea Salt, Durum Wheat Semolina, Fermented Wheat Flour, Yeast, Soy Flour, Barley Flour, Flour Processing Agent: Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)

Crosta & Mollica Pane Pugliese Croutons

price: 2.25 pounds sterling

measuring: 400 gr

Calories: 252

fat: 1.2 grams

salt: 1.3 grams

sugar: 2.3 grams

ingredients: Italian durum wheat semolina, water, yeast, salt

Polish Bakery Paltonowski Fine Bread – Schlep Paltonowski

price: 1.85 pounds sterling

measuring: 800 gr

Calories: 252

fat: 1.1 grams

salt: 1.3 grams

sugar: 0.4 grams

ingredients: wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, nicotinamide (vitamin B3), thiamine hydrochloride (vitamin B1)), water, rye dough (rye flour, water, starter culture), rye flour, wheat dough (wheat flour, water, starter culture), yeast, sea salt, rye bran, improver (wheat gluten, wheat flour, rapeseed oil, flour processing agent: ascorbic acid, enzymes)

Hovis Granary

price: 1.75 pounds sterling

measuring: 450 gr

Calories: 253

fat: 1.6 grams

salt: 1.28 grams

sugar: 4.6 grams

ingredients: Wheat Flour (With Added Calcium, Iron, Vitamin B3 & Vitamin B1), Starter Culture (28%) (Contains: Wheat Flour, Water, Yeast, Sea Salt), Water, Yeast, Fake Malted Wheat Grain (12%), Wheat Lump, Rye Grain, Sea Salt, Fermented Wheat Flour, Wheat Protein, Molasses, Caramelized Sugar, Soy Flour, Barley Flour, Flour Processing Agent: Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)

Hovis Seed Bread

price: 1.75 pounds sterling

measuring: 450 gr

Calories: 280

fat: 7.4 grams

salt: 1.24 grams

sugar: 3.4 grams

ingredients: wheat flour (with added calcium, iron, vitamin B3 and vitamin B1) and starter dough (30%) (contains: wheat flour (with added calcium, iron, vitamin B3 and vitamin BJ, water, yeast and sea salt), water, seed mix (15%) ) (contains: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, roasted sunflower seeds, roasted brown flax seeds, millet seeds, poppy seeds), sea salt, yeast, wheat protein, fermented wheat flour, caramelized sugar, soy flour, wheat malt flour Flour Processing Agent: Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)

Pretent Bakery White Dough

price: 3.50 pounds sterling

measuring: 1 kg

Calories: 234

fat: 1.7 grams

salt: 1.2 grams

sugar: 1.8 grams

ingredients: Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Whole Wheat Flour, Barley Flour, Organic Emmer Wheat Flour, Spelled Flour (Wheat), Sea Salt