Most Recent Press Releases
New research carried out by CASH has found surprising levels of salt hidden in your lunchtime salad or pasta bowl 26.08.2010 - The salt content of nearly 270 salads were surveyed from the major supermarkets, high street cafes and fast food chains. A single salad could contain more than half of your 6g daily maximum for salt which may lead to you feeling bloated and sluggish after lunch.
Click here for the full press release
(Source: Pugh. Daily Mail 26.08.10)
The Department of Health takes responsibility for nutrition policy in England 20.07.10 The Government has today announced its intention for the Department of Health to become responsible for nutrition policy in England. This includes reformulation to reduce salt in food. The government will retain the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for food safety.
Click here for the DH Press Release
Research demonstrates a new damaging effect of salt intake on the circulatory system
29.06.2010 - A new study published today provides increasing evidence to suggest that our high salt intake has direct damaging effects on small blood vessels (capillaries) that may be independent and additive to the effect of salt in raising blood pressure.
Click here for further details
CASH strongly welcomes the salt reduction recommendations made by NICE
22.06.2010 - NICE's Public Health Programme Guidance on the ‘Prevention of cardiovascular disease at population level’ has been published, which endorses a reduction in the salt target from 6g a day to 3g a day by 2025.
Click here for the full press release
New research carried out by CASH has found dangerously high levels of salt in your barbecue 18.06.2010 - The salt content of 603 typical barbecue food products including sausages, burgers, marinated meat, bread rolls, cheese slices, potato salad, coleslaw, crisps and dips were surveyed from the major supermarkets and brands. A typical barbecue meal could contain less than 3g of salt, or as much as 12g of salt – more than DOUBLE the daily maximum recommendation.
Click here for the full press release
EU calls for stricter labelling, but rejects the traffic light system
16.06.2010 - The European Parliament disappointingly voted for more consistent labelling for food products, but rejected the easily understood traffic light system for the alternative system of "Guideline Daily Amounts" (GDAs), in response to intense food industry lobbying.
Click here for coverage in The Telegraph
New research carried out by London Environmental Health Teams on behalf of CASH has found shocking levels of salt and saturated fat in takeaway meals chosen by school children for lunch and as an after school snack
17.05.2010 – Popular takeaway items from kebab shops and burger bars near to approximately 45 schools across 16 London Boroughs were analysed by Eurofins, a public analyst, for their salt, fat, saturated fat and trans fat content. One kebab and chips meal was found to contain as much as 7.4g of salt, more than an adults maximum daily salt recommendation, while another kebab contained a whopping 60.3g of saturated fat, three times an adults maximum daily saturated fat recommendation.
Click here for the full press release
New research carried out by CASH has found shocking levels of salt in your curry night 29.04.2010 - The salt content of 784 Indian and South Asian products from the major food retailers, independent stores and Brick Lane takeaway restaurants was sampled in the biggest survey of its kind in the UK. A bought curry with all the extras (Rice, Naan, Sag Aloo, Poppadom and Chutney) could provide over 31g of salt, the equivalent of FIVE TIMES your maximum recommended daily intake of 6g.
Click here for the full press release
Click below for the BBC coverage
Food Standards Agency agrees to flexible approach on Front of Pack labelling10.03.10 In a disappointing move by the Food Standards Agency, the Board will encourage food manufacturers to use two out of the three elements found by independent research to help UK consumers interpret nutritional information: traffic light colours (red, amber and green), text (high, medium or low) and percentage Guideline Daily Amounts (% GDAs). Campaigners, including CASH, have pushed for a single, consistant approach to food labelling.
Click here for The Independent article
Click here for the FSA Report
New research carried out by CASH has shown huge variations in the salt content of soups, and that 25% of the surveyed soups still fail to meet the FSA 2010 salt targets
26.02.2010 - 575 soups from the 7 major food retailers and 3 large cafes were sampled using the product labels and online websites. High street cafes were some of the worst offenders, and many popular household brands are still too high in salt. Click here for the full press release
Bread is still the highest contributor of salt to our diet
09.02.10 New figures for the sources of salt in our diet have been published as part of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey rolling programme phase 1
Please click here for a summary of sources in a child's diet
Please click here for a summary of sources in an adult's diet
Please click here for the full report (page 46)
Please click here for the full tables (pages 78-80)
A new survey for Salt Awareness Week reveals that Brits still don’t know why salt is bad for them.
01.02.2010. New research published today by Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) as part of Salt Awareness Week, shows that whilst as many as 9 out of 10 people in the UK know salt can damage their health, very few have any idea how. For instance only 34% are aware it can lead to stroke, and 61% heart disease. Even less people are aware salt is linked to conditions such as osteoporosis (4%), stomach cancer (6%), obesity (13%), kidney stones and kidney disease (27%), which can affect anyone.
Click here for further information
New study further confirms salt reduction as a major international public health target (21st Jan) A new paper by Bibbins-Domingo et al published in the New England Journal of Medicine makes for a further compelling case for salt reduction throughout the world. The paper emphasises the enormous public health benefits, and medical cost reductions, of salt reduction on cardiovasular disease.
Click here for the paper in New England Journal of Medicine
Click here for a supporting article in Food Navigator
CASH and FSA publish findings of a pilot study to reduce salt in pizza (5th Jan)CASH and the Food Standards Agency have published the results of a pilot project with independent and small-chain pizza restaurants to develop a toolkit to help them reduce salt levels in their pizzas. Overall, the project indicates that simple practical advice, targeting specific kitchen practices, can help smaller businesses to produce lower salt food particularly if an appropriate communication channel is used.
Click here for the full report
Click here to view the poster and booklet:
New Research carried out by CASH has shown high levels of salt in products from Christmas menus. Fast food outlets and cafes had the highest salt content, and also had poor labelling.
9.12.09 – 87 products from Christmas menus in cafes, fast food chains and supermarkets were surveyed, including sandwiches, salads, pastries and cakes. A whole meal from the McDonalds festive menu contains over the maximum recommendation for salt, and one sandwich from EAT. contains 4.2g of salt.
Click here for the full press release
New Research carried out by CASH has shown huge variation in the salt content of pasta sauces, with branded products containing an average of 25% more salt then supermarket own sauces.
12.11.09 - 190 Pasta sauces from the 8 major food retailers were sampled using the product labels. A huge 30 fold difference in salt content between the highest and the lowest tomato-based product was found. Recipes can be found in the 'Consumers' section.
Click here for the full press release
Channel 4's Dispatches investigates how much salt is in your breakfast
In the 26th Oct edition of Dispatches, featuring our Chairman Professor MacGregor, reporter Jane Moore uncovered what is actually in our breakfast food. She revealed to unsuspecting consumers just how much sugar and salt are in children's cereals, particularly those marketed as 'healthy'.
Click here for Channel 4 Dispatches programme details
UK Shoppers still unaware where salt is hidden
05.10.09 A new survey carried out by the Food Standards Agency to mark the launch of the 4th phase of their salt advertising campaign, shows that the majority of consumers still think most salt in their diet is from crisps, snacks and ready meals, when in fact bread, meat products and cereals are the three highest contributors.
Click here for the FSA press release
New Research carried out by CASH has shown supermarket own brand 'Free From' products can contain higher levels of salt compared to their standard counterparts.
24.09.09 Seventy one 'Free From' products and their standard counterparts from the 5 major retailers were sampled using the product labels. One 'Free From' product had as much as 6 times more salt than its comparison product.
Click here for the full press release
BBC's Watchdog investigates how much salt is in 'healthy' food
17.09.09 BBC's Watchdog broadcast an in depth look at the huge amounts of salt hidden in our food, specifically drawing attention to foods marketed as 'healthy' on sale on our highstreets and supermarkets.
Please click on the photo to watch the programme (NB please wait for the file to load)
New research carried out by London Environmental Health Officers on behalf of CASH shows UK favourite pub chains lagging behind in salt reduction
New research carried out by London Environmental Health Officers on behalf of Consensus Action on Salt and Health ( CASH ) shows that many pub meals can contain huge amounts of salt. In some cases a three-course meal contains more than the daily maximum limit for an adult.
In the first London-wide analysis of national pub chains, Environmental Health officers from boroughs across London sampled 57 popular menu items from 16 of some of the UK 's favourite pub chains. Samples were purchased from the restaurants and analysed for their salt, fat, saturated fat and calorie content by the Public Analyst.
Click here for the full press release
CASH comments on Food Standards Agency revised salt targets for 2012
Consensus Action on Salt and Health ( CASH ) is pleased that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has set lower salt targets for the food industry to reach by 2012, with the objective of lowering daily salt intakes in the UK to 6g or less in adults. Without significant reductions in the amount of salt that industry adds to our food, we stand no chance of achieving the goal of an average adult salt intake of 6g a day or less.
We should not lose sight of the reason why the food industry is being asked to reduce our salt intake – salt puts up our blood pressure, which in turn increases our risk of stroke or heart disease. For every 1g of salt removed from our average daily intake, almost 7,000 lives could be saved per year and a further 7,000 non-fatal heart attacks and strokes could be prevented. At the moment, the UK is leading the world in salt reduction and the fact that our average salt intake has dropped to 8.6g per day means that many thousands of lives are already being saved.
Click here for a full press release
Research reveals hidden salt content of popular restaurant meals
New research published today by Consensus Action on Salt and Health ( CASH ) shows that many popular meals eaten in UK high-street restaurants can contain large amounts of salt, in some cases more than twice the daily maximum limit for an adult in a single meal.
CASH is using Salt Awareness Week 2009 to encourage people to ask for less salt to be added to their food when they eat out in restaurants. And some of the UK 's top chefs are llending their voices to the campaign, hoping to persuade their colleagues to add less salt to their cooking.