New research published in an Action on Salt report shows that popular packaged sliced bread sold in UK supermarkets contains unnecessary amounts of salt, with 3/4 containing as much or more per slice than a packet of ready salted crisps.
Salt is the major contributing factor for raised blood pressure, which is the world’s biggest killer, accounting for 60% of strokes and 50% of heart disease. Bread is the main source of dietary salt in the UK, with over 60 loaves purchased per person each year, and so is a key target for reducing population blood pressure. Even small reductions in the salt content of bread will have a significant impact on public health: a 6% reduction in the average salt content of bread would remove 926 tonnes of salt from the UK diet annually. Action on Salt are now calling on the UK government to implement mandatory salt reduction targets to prevent thousands of premature deaths. The report was widely covered in multiple media outlets.