Pret’s ‘hidden’ salad dressing calories are added to labels

PRET A MANGER has changed its salad labels to include calories and fat in dressings after it emerged that a number contain “hidden” calories and are less healthy than baguettes and sandwiches.

The move is a victory for the The Sunday Telegraph which conducted an investigation in June revealing how some Pret salads are more than twice as calorific as stated by labels. This was due to pots of dressing containing “hidden” calories amounting to as much as all the other ingredients combined.

Food experts condemned Pret and warned that nutritional information needed to be more transparent.

Now, labels on Pret salads have been updated to list the calories and fat in dressings in a separate box, which appears below the nutritional values for the rest of the meal.

To establish the total amount of fat and calories in its salads previously, customers would have had to ask a member of staff or visit its website.

This newspaper found the highest number of secret calories were in the tuna niçoise salad, which contains 191 calories without the dressing. Pret’s website reveals the dressing contains an extra 232 calories, raising the total calorie count by 121 per cent to 423. It also contains 31 grams of fat, which is more than most of Pret’s sandwiches.

Meanwhile, the chicken mozzarella salad dressing contains an extra 141 (66 per cent) calories in addition to the salad, as well as 99 per cent more fat. The super bean, broccoli and turmeric cauli veg box also contains 141 (67 per cent) more calories once the dressing is added, as well as 108 per cent more fat.

A Pret spokesman could not be reached for comment.