The hot chocolate drink that is saltier than the Black Sea!

WITH a name like Ultimate Marshmallow Hot Chocolate, you might think a health warning would refer to sugar levels.

But a study has revealed alarming amounts of salt in the Galaxy product – which was saltier than some sea water.

It was one of many items in a survey on salt levels, which found just one out of 28 food types studied had met the British government’s target for salt reduction this year: bread rolls.

The study by campaign group Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) compared two shopping baskets of equivalent everyday food, but where one basket’s items had more salt.

The saltier basket had 107g of salt compared to the healthier basket’s 47g. This 60g difference is equal to 130 bags of Walkers Ready Salted crisps. Galaxy’s hot chocolate had 0.6g of salt per 25g serving, more than the 0.46g in a bag of crisps and 16 times more than the British government’s 2017 target set for drinks.

Salt levels in sea water fluctuate, but the drink was saltier than some seas including the Baltic and the Black Sea. Also among the worst offenders was Aldi Piri Piri Smoked Mackerel Fillets, which had 3.8g of salt per 100g, when the target for such products is 0.95g.

The survey was carried out using an app called FoodSwitch UK, which allows shoppers to scan barcodes and then shows them nutritional information.

In all 28 categories there were products with at least 30% less salt, which met the targets. With cereals, there was a 97% difference between Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Nuts and Caramel Bites (1.13g of salt per 100g) and Jordans Country Crisp with Sun-Ripe Strawberries (0.03g).

CASH is urging Public Health England to ensure the 2017 targets are met and to set mandatory targets for 2020. Chairman Graham MacGregor, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Queen Mary, University of London, said: ‘This is a national scandal.’

According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Irish men are eating more than twice as much salt as they should be. This is despite a lower salt content in many processed foods, research published last year shows.

Meanwhile, the daily salt intake of Irish women is 70% above recommended levels.

The authority in its annual salt monitoring programme last year cited significant reductions across all food groups, including processed meats and bread. Some of the biggest drops were in rashers, cooked ham and sausages. Still, the estimated average daily salt intake is 11.1g a day in men and 8.5g in women. The internationally recommended daily intake is just 5g per day.