Meat-free sausages are saltier than crisps

In fact, according to researchers from the Consensus Action on Salt and Health, some meat-free sausages contain five times as much salt as a bag of crisps.

That means just two bangers would be enough to take the average adult to their recommended daily dosage. As for children, two would simply be too much.

Some meat-free burgers even had six times more salt than an equivalent product containing meat.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, CASH nutritionist Carrie Bolt said: “With the barbecue season already upon us, many people may think that going meat-free is a healthier option.

“We would urge them to look carefully at the labelling to help make sure that they are buying lower-salt products wherever they can.

“Confusingly, many of these products give only the sodium levels on pack. These need to be multiplied by 2.5 to get the salt levels.”

Indeed, CASH discovered there were huge variations in the amounts of salt in each product. For example, the saltiest product was Fry’s Vegetarian Traditional Sausage, which at 2.8 grams contained four times more salt than the pork equivalent.

It’s recommended that the average adult consume no more than 6g a day, while a 7-10 year-old child’s recommended dosage is just 5g.

However, Asda Meat Free Lincolnshire Sausages contained 1.2g. Meanwhile, Fry’s Vegetarian Traditional Burgers (1.8g) was six times saltier than the equivalent Asda meat burger.

Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine at St George’s Hospital Medical School in London, told the Daily Mail: “We all need to make sure we eat less salt, as the amount that we currently eat puts up our blood pressure and this is the major cause of strokes and heart attacks.

“A lot of work has been done by the food industry to reduce the salt content of meat products such as sausages and burgers.

“The same should now be done by manufacturers of vegetarian products. Some products do have lower levels of salt, which prompts the question why some have around the same salt content as Atlantic sea water.”

A Food & Drink Federation spokesman said: “The industry has been working hard for years to reduce the salt content of its products. Efforts in this area by members of our Vegetarian and Meat-Free Food Industry Group are no exception.”

Source: Daily Mail