Children given too much salt, parents warned
Researchers found just one small portion of popular foods like baked beans can contain half the recommended maximum for young children for an entire day’s meals.
Scientists analysed 75 popular British foods, of which 30 are available in Ireland, and found many had high levels of salt while few were low-salt.
Children aged seven to 10 should only consume 5g of salt a day, yet half-a-can of tinned spaghetti contains 1.9g and a slice of bread has 0.53g.
Such a meal would contain a total of 2.43g of salt — or almost half their maximum daily intake of salt — before the child added on any themselves.
Popular breakfast cereals like Kellogg’s Rice Krispies contain 0.65g of salt a bowl — or 13% of the recommended daily maximum for older children.
Yesterday, the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI) warned parents they were giving their children too much salt by relying heavily on convenience foods at mealtimes.
“We need a certain amount of salt in our diets, but processed meats, processed foods in general, sauces and gravy, tend to be much higher in salt,” said institute nutritionist Margot Brennan.
“Parents should try to make as much home-made food as possible [to reduce salt intake] and if they could reduce the amount of processed foods, then that would be a help, too.
“For instance, if they are having spaghetti bolognaise then they could use half a jar of sauce and then make up the rest with fresh tomatoes.”
Salt can cause high blood pressure, which in turns can cause heart disease. Excessive salt is also linked to stomach cancer.
Ms Brennan said children who ate salty foods tended to turn to sugar-laden drinks to quench their thirst, increasing their calorie intake.
Britain’s Food Standards Agency recommends children aged one to three should consume no more than 2g of salt a day, and four to six-year-olds a maximum of 3g.
The limit for seven to 10-year-olds is 5g, while youngsters aged over 11 years of age and adults should consume no more than 6g a day.
Yesterday, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said Irish average consumption was about 9g a day — 50% over the recommended limit and more than double the stricter level of 4g as advocated by certain nutritionists.
“People should not be adding salt to their food at home because we get too much salt from the food we eat,” said Wayne Anderson, the authority’s chief specialist in food science.
“It’s estimated we consume around 8.3g a day, even if we don’t add salt from the table.”
The authority has been working with the food industry to reduce salt in key products like cured meats and bread, but the change is slow.
“Salt levels are being reduced step by step over a prolonged period so people’s palates get used to less salt in their food,” he said.
