UK's saltiest sandwich packs more salt than daily limit

A chicken sandwich sold by bakery chain Gail's contains 6.88g of salt, more than the UK's recommended daily limit of 6g and the World Health Organization's 5g cap. The triple-decker sandwich, priced at £8.90, also packs about 1,000 calories.

The sandwich topped a list of more than 500 sandwiches analyzed for salt content. It features two layers of filling: thick-cut bacon with salad and smoked chicken with coleslaw.

The taste was strong but enjoyable. The salt was noticeable, yet the sandwich delivered on flavor, which explains why salt is added to so many foods. The reporter did not finish it, and colleagues in the newsroom helped finish the rest.

The World Health Organization has linked excess salt consumption to 1.7 million preventable deaths worldwide each year. Dr Luz Maria De Regil, the organization's director of nutrition, said excess salt remains among the top preventable drivers of death globally.

Sonia Pombo, a researcher at Queen Mary University of London and head of research at Action on Salt and Sugar, said the body needs only a very small amount of sodium. Too much salt raises blood pressure by drawing water into the bloodstream, forcing the heart to work harder. High blood pressure can damage blood vessels and lead to strokes and heart attacks.

Excess salt can also stiffen blood vessels, harm the kidneys, leach calcium from bones, and has been linked to vascular dementia and stomach cancer. A single high-salt meal will not cause long-term harm, Pombo said, but repeated high intake gradually raises blood pressure over a lifetime.

The latest UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey data from 2019 showed men consuming 9.2g of salt a day and women 7.6g. Those figures have not improved since 2008. Most salt comes from processed foods, including bread, rather than from what people add at the table.

Pombo said people cannot sweat out or flush out excess salt through exercise or extra water. A diet high in fruit and vegetables supplies potassium that can partly offset salt's effects, but it does not cancel them out.

Prof Francesco Cappuccio of the University of Warwick said manufacturers keep salt levels high because it is cheap and helps preserve food. He argued that salt can be reduced without harming products.

Kate Nicholls, chair of UKHospitality, said hospitality businesses invest in nutrition and healthy options to give customers choices when eating out.

The reporter said the sandwich is an occasional treat at most and plans to return to packed lunches.