A new Australian survey on fast foods has revealed that some manufacturers are delivering an astonishing amount of salt in some of their products.
According to the Australian Division of World Action on Salt and Health (AWASH) some fast food chains are overdosing us with salt.
The survey which reviewed salt levels in a range of foods sold by six major fast food chains - KFC, Hungry Jack's, Oporto, Red Rooster, Subway and McDonald's - found that most products contained excessive quantities of salt.
AWASH says many fast food meals contain far more salt than the government's recommended daily maximum and fast food manufacturers are pushing up salt consumption to unsafe levels.
In Australia most of us are consuming far too much salt - too much salt has serious implications for a person's health - it can raise blood pressure and has been linked to other conditions, such as heart failure, kidney problems and kidney stones, oedema, stroke, gastric cancer and osteoporosis.
Salt is a chemical compound, an electrolyte, made up of sodium and chloride and has been used for centuries to preserve and flavour foods.
Our main source of sodium is in our diet and a small amount of salt is important for good health as it helps to maintain the correct volume of circulating blood and tissue fluids in the body. However, most people consume much more sodium than they need for good health - Australians consume more than double the amount of sodium that is recommended to prevent cardiovascular disease.
For many people reducing their intake of salt will lower high blood pressure depending on their age and blood pressure and those with high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease, and those who are older or overweight, are particularly susceptible to the effect of too much sodium on blood pressure.
Government advice is that people should eat no more than 4 grams of salt a day with an upper maximum limit of 6 grams, most salt in the diet comes from processed and pre-prepared foods and many Australians are currently eating around 9 grams of salt each day.
AWASH says despite government pressure to rid food of problem trans fats there is an unacceptable level of salt in popular fast foods and the salt in meals from fast food chains is a major contributor to premature death and disability in Australia.
The survey revealed that three quarters of the sandwiches and burgers surveyed contained more than half the maximum daily allowance of salt in a single serve - one chicken and chips meal contained a shocking 7 grams of salt - and AWASH says urgent action is required to reduce salt in fast foods.
Professor Bruce Neal, the head of AWASH says companies have responded well to government pressure to rid food of problem fats but salt levels remain very high.
It has also been revealed that some seemingly healthy options served in popular lunch spots can also be very high in salt - a 'healthy' and appealing ham, cheese and tomato sandwich roll from a leading salad chain contained over 5 grams of salt.
Caitlin Reid, author of the forthcoming book Health and the City, says many consumers think they are being health conscious by ordering what they perceive to be healthy lunch options, but they don't realise the amount of salt their choices contain and sandwiches, salads, pastas, soups and risotto are just some of the many 'healthy' takeaway options that can contain alarmingly high amounts of salt.
Professor Neal says 'The Drop the Salt!' campaign is putting pressure on the food industry to reduce salt in foods and consumers can help by asking how much salt is in their lunch and asking for a low salt option.