“Saltier than seawater” pestos reveal failure to meet UK salt reduction targets, group says

04 Oct 2017 --- A number of UK pesto sauces contain “shockingly” high amounts of salt, with some pestos even containing higher levels now than when last surveyed in 2009. This is according to a survey conducted by Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH), using the FoodSwitch UK app. The advocacy group is calling on Public Health England (PHE) to “act tough on the food industry” following concerns that certain food manufacturers are failing to meet the UK 2017 Salt Reduction Targets.

CASH reports that top of the list of high-sodium pesto brands is Sacla, thanks to its Italia Organic Vegetarian Pesto No.5 Basil and Italia Pesto No.1 Classic Basil. Both contain 3.30g salt per 100g, which is 30 percent saltier than seawater, and contain 2.5 times more salt per 100g than salted peanuts.

According to CASH, the salt levels in both these pesto products have increased since they were last surveyed in 2009 and now contain over 1.5g of salt per serving, which is “more than a McDonald’s Hamburger.”

When contacted for comment, Sacla told NutritionInsight that it “works hard to make authentic Italian products which are good quality, safe to eat and should be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet.”

NutritionInsight reached out to Sacla for further comment on the findings of the report as well as the company’s stance on salt reduction targets but received no further response.

A popular choice among parents, pesto is often given to young children – making it an even bigger contributor toward their salt intakes as the maximum daily recommended intake is much lower for children, CASH says. 

Pesto was surveyed as part of CASH’s Pasta Sauce Survey in 2009, which highlighted that half of the pestos had 2g of salt or more per 100g at the time. This latest survey suggests some improvements have been made in the last eight years to bring them under the 2017 salt target of 1.38g for pesto and other thick sauces, with significant reductions in some supermarket brands, but also big names such as Jamie Oliver.

Nearly 40 percent of products still exceed the average salt target for pesto sauces, and with less than three months left until the December 2017 deadline for the industry, some companies would not appear to be on track to meet the salt reduction targets for this category. (See extract of the full chart). 

None of the branded pestos have the UK Department of Health’s recommended color-coded front of pack nutrition label, making it difficult for consumers to know just how much salt they are eating. Almost half (44 percent) of pestos surveyed would receive a red label for saturated fats on front-of-pack, the group notes. 

“The UK was leading the world in salt reduction, but so far PHE is doing little to ensure that the 2017 salt targets are met, and has not confirmed that they are setting new targets to be achieved by 2020. This is a national scandal as we know we can save thousands of people from unnecessary strokes and heart attacks if population salt intake is reduced, and furthermore, it is the most cost-effective health policy,” says Professor Graham MacGregor, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Queen Mary University of London and Chairman of CASH.

An Innova Market Insights analysis of low sodium claims in Europe (2011-2015), strongly indicated that the UK leads for low sodium claims, accounting for 29 percent of all new product launches tracked with these claims in Europe. Among the top 3 are the Netherlands and France with respectively 11.1 percent and 15.1 percent share of product launches tracked with a low sodium claim. Other countries each account for less than 5 percent of the low sodium claimed new product launches tracked in 2011-2015. It must be noted that most sodium reduction has been done by stealth reformulation, with no strong product claims having been made.

By Lucy Gunn