UK – A new research in the UK has revealed that the pizza we enjoy might having dangerously high amounts of salt, at times more than double the daily recommended doses.
The research by the campaign group Action on Salt surveyed 1,387 pizzas and found that one in two pizzas contained at least the entirety of daily recommended salt levels.
Some of the surveyed pizzas were found to have extremely high salt levels. For example, Domino’s ‘Sizzler Standard Mozzarella Stuffed Crust Medium Pizza’ contains 21.38g of salt, more than three times the government recommended amount of less than 6g.
In terms of the sector as a whole, takeaway chains are the biggest culprits with their pizzas containing an average of double the salt content of supermarket brands.
The saltiest supermarket pizza is The Pizza Company Takeaway Pizza the Pepperoni Party’, which contains 9.2g of salt, one and a half times the daily recommended intake.
Some good apples among the not-so-good ones were found in companies, such as Pizza Express, Dr. Oetker, and Goodfella’s, which have managed to cut down their salt content (Goodfella’s have decreased by 29%).
Action on Salt is however concerned the wider pizza industry is not making progress towards sugar reduction, something which puts the public health at risk.
Why is too much salt unhealthy
Around 3m deaths each year around the world are linked to salt consumption. But why is it so unhealthy?
“Eating too much salt causes raised blood pressure, which in turn is the major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and stroke – responsible for one in four deaths in the UK,” said Hattie Burt, Senior Policy and International Projects Officer at Action on Salt.
“High salt consumption is also linked to kidney disease, osteoporosis and stomach cancer.” Why is this dangerous? The answer is linked to the water content in our bodies.
Salt makes our bodies hold onto water which adds extra pressure on blood vessel walls, raising blood pressure which puts strain on the arteries and this can lead to the development of atherosclerosis, which is the build-up of fatty plaques in the arteries.
“These plaques can narrow the arteries, or break off, and restrict blood flow to the heart and brain, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes,” Burt explained.
What is concerning is that the salt content in pizza is increasing beyond the recommended amount despite its harm to health.
Action on Salt called on the UK government, particularly Health Secretary Steve Barclay and Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, to do more to reduce salt content in food.
Another suggestion that Burt suggests is expanding the sugary drinks levy, which removed 47,000 tonnes of sugar from UK soft drinks every year between 2015 and 2019, to products with salt in them.
She noted that unlike sugar, reducing salt is much simpler than reducing sugar content, and in most cases does not require a replacement ingredient and should therefore be easier for manufacturers.
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