In a new analysis into ready-to-eat soups sold in UK supermarkets, our findings revealed many soups remain far saltier than recommended, undermining their reputation as a healthy lunch option and strengthening the case for stronger government action on reformulation. 

Read the Soups Report 2026 [PDF 4,862KB].

Assessing 481 chilled and ambient soups, our report found: 

• Nearly 1 in 4 (23%) soups exceeded the Government’s voluntary maximum salt target, which food businesses were expected to meet by the end of 2024. 

• Almost 1 in 6 soups would receive a red front-of-pack warning label for high salt content 

• The saltiest soup currently available on the market, was Soup Head Tom Yum Soup which contains more than half of an adult’s maximum daily salt limit in one sitting, and more salt than two McDonalds cheeseburgers! 

Serving Size Distortion 

11% of soups analysed contain more than 2g salt in a suggested serve – equivalent to more than a third of an adult's daily limit. However, suggested serving sizes varied widely, ranging from 147.5g to 500g, and often failed to reflect real-world consumption, meaning the actual salt consumed in a realistic serving will be much more.  

These inconsistencies risk misleading consumers and obscuring the true salt contribution of what they eat.  

Supermarket vs Branded Divide 

The analysis highlighted a clear divide in performance across the market. Nearly half (48%) of manufacturer-branded soups exceeded the maximum salt target, compared to just 6% of supermarket own-label soups.  

Several well-known brands, including Heinz and Mr Organic, had a high proportion of products exceeding the recommended maximum, while many supermarket own-label ranges demonstrated that lower salt formulations are achievable at scale. 

Salt Variation 

Large variations in salt content were found across similar soup flavours, for example Chicken and vegetable soups showed a twofold difference in salt levels. This variation proves high salt in many soups is not inevitable but instead reflects reformulation choice, and in many cases, is simply unnecessary.  

Why this Matters 

With more than five million people in the UK estimated to be living with undiagnosed high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease, these findings highlight a serious public health issue. Salt is a key driver of raised blood pressure and, because most of it is added into foods before they’re even purchased, shoppers can’t realistically ‘choose their way out’ without stronger action from the Government and the food industry. 

How Can We Fix It? 

Following the report, we are urging ministers to move beyond voluntary approaches and: 

• Introduce fiscal levers to drive reformulation 

• Mandate front-of-pack labelling across all food and drink 

• Strengthen Healthy Sales Reporting and apply the updated Nutrient Profiling Model consistently across all food and drink, ensuring high-salt products are no longer the default on shop shelves.  

Commenting on the report, Sonia Pombo, Head of Research and Impact at Action on Salt & Sugar, said: 

“Soup is often marketed as a healthy, everyday choice, but our findings show it can be a major source of hidden salt. Nearly one in four soups are still exceeding the salt target, something that was expected of food businesses over a year ago. This sends a clear message that food businesses aren’t all taking this matter seriously. 

“The UK used to be a world leader on salt reduction, but progress has stalled. Government must get back on the front foot with stronger incentives to drive reformulation, and proper accountability, so the healthier option becomes the default, not the exception.” 

Dr Pauline Swift, Consultant Nephrologist and Chair of Action on Salt & Sugar added: 

“High blood pressure is still the UK’s silent killer, and salt is one of the biggest reasons. When a ‘simple’ lunch like soup can contain a huge chunk of your daily limit, it’s no surprise so many people are walking around with blood pressure that’s too high. 

“This isn’t about individual blame; the public cannot ‘choose their way out’ of this problem when salt is added long before the food reaches our table.  Reducing salt is one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to bring blood pressure down and prevent heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease, and we need both food businesses and the Government to play their part.” 

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 

“This Government is bringing in a modernised food nutrient scoring system, which includes criteria for salt, to improve diets, which has a direct benefit to health.

“It’s just one element of the strong action we are taking to tackle the nation’s health as part of our 10 Year Health Plan, which will shift the focus of care from sickness to prevention.

“We are also restricting advertising of junk food on TV and online, limiting volume price promotions on less healthy foods and introducing mandatory reporting on sales of healthy food - all of which should also impact the salt content of foods.”

Industry comments:

ASDA “We recognise our responsibility to support our customers health. We are really proud to have set a healthy sales target based on the nutrient profiling model - as observed in the data, all Asda branded soups surveyed in this report are healthy under this classification. Reformulation and new product development are a key part of us driving this target and salt content is a key consideration in our decision making when it comes to product formulation.”

Daylesford Organic "The salt content figure of 1g per 100g for Daylesford Minestrone soup cited in this report was based on a packaging misprint that has been independently verified as incorrect. Laboratory analysis confirms the actual salt content is 0.67g per 100g - 33% lower than reported. Corrected packaging is already in production. We regret this error and are committed to accurate nutritional labelling.” 

Further details and a full breakdown of methodology are available in the report - Soups Report 2026 [PDF 4,862KB]

For comments or media enquiries, please contact David Clarke at Rock PR: david@rock-pr.com