Lunchtime salad pots 'can contain more salt than a burger and fries'

Some lunchtime salads and pasta bowls should carry health warnings because they are so salty, a campaign group says today.

One noodle salad contained 4.4 grams of salt ­ 73 per cent of the recommended daily limit, while some McDonald's salads were saltier than a Big Mac and small fries meal, according to Consensus Action on Salt and Health (Cash).

A study of 156 salads and pasta bowls sold on the high street revealed 19 per cent contained more than one third of the 6g daily limit.

An EAT Thai noodle salad had 4.4grams of salt per portion, a Tesco tuna and sweetcorn pasta snack had 3.7g, while EAT smoked mackerel superfood and McDonald's crispy chicken Caesar salad with low-fat dressing both contained 3.5g. They were all saltier than a Big Mac and small fries, which contained 2.5g.

Cash wants dressings made less salty and served separately. Some salad dressings add a gram of salt to the meal. Cash's chairman, Professor Graham MacGregor, said that while many salad dishes were healthy, some "ought to carry a health warning, rather than be thought of as a healthy option". Cash also criticised the Pret a Manger sandwich chain for not showing salt content on its packs.

The British Heart Foundation's policy officer, Alex Callaghan, said: " This report goes to show the name of a food product doesn't always tell the full story.

"Salt is a hidden killer which can lurk in the unlikeliest of foods."