Canada’s fast food among world’s saltiest
Chains resist changing recipes
Do you like your fries extra salty? Well, you’re living in the right country.
An international study of salt levels in servings from major fast-food chains reveals that Canadian-made fries, salads and sandwiches hold the dubious distinction of being among the saltiest in the world.
The study of more than 2,100 fast-foods items in six countries — the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, France and Canada — found Canada has the second-highest levels of sodium. The U.S. is first.
The study, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, included six major chains — Burger King, Domino’s Pizza, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Mcdonald’s, Pizza Hut and Subway.
Fries sold at Canadian fastfood chains had more than twice the amount of salt as those sold at U.S. locations.
“We’re either the highest or the second highest for every single food category,” said Dr. Norman Campbell, professor of medicine at the University of Calgary and co-author of the study. “But this is the kind of (contest) you want to lose.”
The authors also found huge differences in the salt content of the same product in different countries.
For example, Mcdonald’s Chicken Mcnuggets had 2 1/2 times more salt in the United States than in the United Kingdom (1.6 versus 0.6 grams of salt per 100 g).
“In each category we were able to find examples of products that were very low salt and that says that if these companies wanted to, they could provide products that are quite low in salt,” Campbell said.
Too much salt in the diet has been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, stomach cancer and asthma.
While the study doesn’t point a finger at any particular chain, Campbell noted the “saltiest” products came from Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut.
Despite the dangers of a sodium-laden diet, many major chains resist changing their salt-centric formulas.
Part of the problem, Campbell said, is that salt is an acquired taste and must be reduced gradually.
“We’re (recommending) industry drop by five to 10 per cent per year,” Campbell said.
“But for industry to do that in a competitive environment, they really need government oversight and monitoring.”
Some fast-food chains operating in Canada say they have already taken steps to cut salt from their foods.
Mcdonald’s Canada says the sodium content of Chicken Mcnuggets has decreased by 5.6 per cent since 2009.
The company said variations from country to country in the nutritional content of its foods is the result of playing to local consumer preferences.
“Our work to reduce sodium levels is long-term and continues today,” a spokesperson for the company said Monday.
Campbell said Canadians will be better off if government takes the lead in setting industry-wide nutritional targets.
He said a lot more will have to be done for Canada to meet its goal of reducing the average amount of sodium consumed to 2,300 mg per day by 2016,
Currently, Canadians consume about 3,400 mg per day.
“Several countries around the world have been able to reduce salt, and many of them have seen very substantive health benefits, but it takes federal government leadership,” Campbell said.
“These are the types of things that are threatening our healthcare system and our well-being,” Campbell added.
WITH FILES FROM POSTMEDIA NEWS. MPOTKINS@CALGARYHERALD.COM