Pesto pasta saltier than Mcdonald’s
Experts warn that leading sauce brands could add to children’s risk of heart problems in later life
Pesto pasta could be worse for children’s health than Mcdonald’s hamburgers because of its salt content. The average amount of salt in a serving of pesto is now 1.5g, research found, overtaking Mcdonald’s hamburgers which contain 1.2g. Best-selling brands were among the saltiest.
FEEDING children pesto pasta could be worse for their health than letting them eat Mcdonald’s hamburgers because of its salt content.
The amount of salt in pesto is rising with the average serving now containing 1.5g of salt, research found, overtaking Mcdonald’s hamburgers which contain 1.2g.
This is equivalent to half of the 3g daily salt allowance for four to six-yearolds, according to the NHS. In 2009 the average pesto serving contained 1.17g of salt.
The report warned: “A popular choice among parents, pesto is often given to young children – making it an even bigger contributor towards their salt intakes as the maximum daily recommended intake is much lower for children.
“In the long-term, this could increase a child’s risk of developing high blood pressure, strokes and heart attacks later in life.”
The study, conducted by campaign group Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) found two of the saltiest pots of pesto were from Sacla, the UK’S best-selling brand.
Its Italia Organic Vegetarian Pesto No 5 Basil and Italia Pesto No 1 Classic Basil are both 30 per cent saltier than seawater and contain two and a half times more salt per 100g than peanuts.
CASH also noted that none of the branded pestos included in the survey carried the Department of Health’s recommended colour-coded front of pack nutrition label to help consumers “despite some of these products being the worst offenders when it comes to salt”.
Pesto is also high in saturated fats, with almost half of those surveyed (44 per cent) potentially receiving a red label for saturates on front of pack labelling, it said.
Napolina Green Pesto with Basil, Gino D’acampo Pesto alla Genovese Basil Pesto and Truly Italian Genovese Basil Pesto all contained between 2g and 2.5g of salt per 100g. Tesco Reduced Fat Red Pesto, Aldi’s Specially Selected Italian Pesto Genovese and Italian Pesto Rosso, Jamie Oliver Green Pesto and Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Pesto Alla Genovese all contained less than 1g of salt per 100g.
CASH called on Public Health England (PHE) to “act tough” on the food industry, raising concerns that some manufacturers are failing to meet the 2017 salt reduction targets with less than three months to go.
Sarah Alderton, CASH’S assistant nutritionist, said: “Pesto is an everyday product eaten by adults and children alike, but people might not realise just how salty it can be. None of the products we surveyed could be described as ‘healthy’, so consider having pesto in smaller portions, less frequently, or try other pasta sauces lower in salt and fat instead.”
A Sacla spokeswoman said: “We work hard to make authentic Italian products which are good quality, safe to eat and should be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet.”
Four in 10 pesto products exceed the average salt target for pesto sauces, CASH said.
With less than three months left until the December 2017 deadline for manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt in food, some companies are clearly not on track to meet the 2017 salt reduction targets for this category, it warned.
Prof Graham Macgregor, of Queen Mary University of London, said: “The UK was leading the world in salt reduction, but so far PHE is doing little to ensure that the 2017 salt targets are met, and has not confirmed that they are setting new targets to be achieved by 2020. This is a national scandal as we know we can save thousands of people from unnecessary strokes and heart attacks if population salt intake is reduced, and furthermore, it is the most cost effective health policy.”