Cheddar cheese can contain more salt than crisps, study reveals

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/29/cheddar-cheese-more-salt-crisps

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A slice of cheddar can contain more salt than an entire packet of crisps, research by a health group reveals on Thursday. It urges consumers to be wary of the "alarmingly" high hidden salt content in cheese and to choose healthier varieties or smaller portions to avoid the risk of high blood pressure, strokes and heart attacks.

Cheese, a staple item in the British shopping basket – bought by more than 98% of households, is high in saturated fat, although it does contain essential nutrients such as calcium and protein.

Researchers from the Consensus Action on Salt and Health (Cash) say that only bread and bacon contribute more salt to the British diet. Many cheeses, including cheddar, roquefort, processed cheese slices, feta and halloumi, were found to contain more salt by concentration than seawater.

The wide-ranging survey of 772 supermarket cheese products found that cheddar had an average of 0.52 grams of salt in each 30g portion (the size of a matchbox) – more than a packet of crisps. A standard 34.5g packet of Walkers ready salted crisps contains 0.5g of salt.

Among the worst cheddar offenders were Morrisons: Smooth & Tangy Farmhouse cheddar (0.63g salt per 30g) and Waitrose: West Country Farmhouse cheddar (0.58g).

Katharine Jenner, Cash campaign director, said: "We already know most cheese is high in fat; however, we often add it to our meals without thinking how much salt it contains. This survey shows that just one portion of cheese can contain more salt than a packet of crisps, so it's worth looking at the label and choosing a lower-salt version of your favourite cheese, or just use a little less next time you get the grater out. We should all be eating less than 6g salt a day, about a teaspoon, yet we are currently eating much more [8.1g salt a day]."

Processed cheese slices, popular with children, also came under fire for high salt content. For instance, Iceland Cheese Food Slices contain more salt than a packet of crisps in just one slice, at 0.56g salt per 20g portion (2.8g of salt per 100g).

Varieties of Mozzarella (0.98g per 100g portion), Emmental (1.07g) and Wensleydale (1.13g) were found to have among the lowest salt content in the survey.

A Morrisons spokesperson said: "We offer a wide variety of cheese, including one of the lowest-salt cheddars on the market. All of our cheese is labelled on front of pack with the nutrition per 30g serving to help customers make an informed choice, and we are meeting government targets for salt in this category."

Graham MacGregor, chairman of Cash and Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Wolfson Institute, added: "Cheese is still a big contributor of salt in the diet. We urge the government to stop dragging its heels and set new, lower, targets for cheese manufacturers to work towards. Even small reductions will have large health benefits. For every one-gram reduction in population salt intake, we can prevent 12,000 heart attacks, stroke and heart failure, half of which would have been fatal."

But Dr Judith Bryans, director of the Dairy Council, claimed the survey's findings were misleading in its conclusions. She commented: "We do not think it is constructive to send out a message that a cheese sandwich is not good for you. Cheese provides a wide range of nutrients including protein, vitamins and important minerals such as calcium. To reduce cheese to its salt content is not acceptable. People have been eating cheese sandwiches and being nourished by them for many years. No one should eat too much of anything, but cheese and dairy are an important part of a healthy diet." <strong> </strong>