Tins of ready-made soup can contain more salt than hamburgers and are not necessarily a healthy lunch option, doctors have warned.
A team at Action on Salt and Sugar, based at Queen Mary University of London, analysed the salt levels of 481 supermarket soups, warning that nearly one in four are above the maximum salt target set by the government.
Some cans of soup deliver half of an adult’s maximum daily salt limit in one go, which can contribute towards high blood pressure. High blood pressure affects nearly one in three adults and significantly increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. It is known as the “silent killer” because it often does not cause symptoms.
The saltiest product was Soup Head Tom Yum Soup, which contained 3.03g of salt in a 300g pack. This is 51 per cent of an adult’s maximum daily limit and more salt than two McDonald’s cheeseburgers.
The most popular soup is Heinz Cream of Tomato, which contains 2.2g of salt in a 400g tin. When eaten with two slices of bread and butter, researchers said this can rise to 3.38g of salt for a single meal.
Other high-salt examples included Daylesford Organic Minestrone Soup, which contained 5g in a 500g packet, and Baxters Luxury Cullen Skink, which contained 3.80g in a 400g tin.
Heinz Cream of Tomato, Britain’s most popular tinned soup, has 2.2g of salt in a 400g tin
STEWART WILLIAMS
Under front-of-pack labelling guidelines, one in six soups would receive a red warning for high salt content, while just 11 products would qualify for a green label.
Across the range, the average serving offered 1.43g of salt, and 51 products packed more than 2g in a single suggested serving, which is more than a third of an adult’s maximum limit for the day. The group also warned that suggested serving sizes on packs can understate the real salt hit, with many brands listing a serving as 200g, or half a tin, even though people are likely to eat more in one sitting.
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Sonia Pombo, head of impact and research at Action on Salt and Sugar, said: “Soup is often marketed as a healthy, everyday choice, but our findings show it can be a major source of hidden salt. Nearly one in four soups are still exceeding the maximum salt target, despite food businesses being expected to meet it more than a year ago. A full 12 months on, that level of noncompliance is disappointing and difficult to justify.
“The UK used to be a world leader on salt reduction, but progress has stalled. Government must get back on the front foot with stronger incentives to drive reformulation, and proper accountability, so the healthier option becomes the default, not the exception.”
Dr Pauline Swift, a consultant nephrologist and the chair of Action on Salt and Sugar, added: “High blood pressure is still the UK’s silent killer, and salt is one of the biggest reasons. When a ‘simple’ lunch like soup can contain a huge chunk of your daily limit, it’s no surprise so many people are walking around with blood pressure that’s too high.
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“This isn’t about individual blame; the public cannot ‘choose their way out’ of this problem when salt is added long before the food reaches our table. Reducing salt is one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to bring down blood pressure and prevent heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease, and we need both food businesses and the government to play their part.”