Warning over salt content in children's meals

Leading pub and fast food chains have been accused of having too much salt in meals for children.

The Consensus on Action on Salt and Health (Cash) found that some meals contained more salt than the daily recommended level for children of 4g of salt.

Cash tested 11 chains in the study, covering 160 meals, and discovered that lunches at outlets including Nando’s and Wetherspoons exceeded that with each having children’s meals containing three times as much salt as a McDonald’s Happy Meal of a hamburger and fries.

A Nando’s veggie burger with creamy mash contained 5.3g of salt, while a Wetherspoons’ Wiltshire cured ham and cheese sandwich with chips had 4.8g.

However, Cash raised concerns that it was difficult for parents to make an informed choice on healthy meals for their children because there was a lack of nutritional information on menus.

And it also transpired that several chains surveyed, did offer low salt options.

Cash campaign director Katharine Jenner said: “Children's meals should provide tasty and healthy alternatives to more adult dishes. It is an outrage that when families go out for a pub lunch, they may be unknowingly putting their children's health at risk.”

Wetherspoons said it was reviewing the salt levels in some of its dishes and had taken on board the findings of the Cash report.

A spokesman for Nando’s said the chain was currently in the process of changing its menu and a new range of children’s dishes would be launched at the end of the month.

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