Fast-food salt content varies by country: study

According to Dunford, the message for individuals is to eat fewer high-sodium foods - not only fast food, but the many processed foods that harbor added salt, from breads and cereals, to processed meats, to soups and sauces.

But both Campbell and Dunford said that consumers should not bear all the responsibility.

“We’ve been badgering people about salt for years, and it’s not working,” Campbell said. “They are out there in a sea of fast food and processed foods.”

“We really need to tackle this at a societal level.”

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SOURCE: Canadian Medical Association Journal, online April 16, 2012

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The variability of reported salt levels in fast foods across six countries: opportunities for salt reduction

Results: We saw substantial variation in the mean salt content for different categories of products. For example, the salads we included in our survey contained 0.5 g of salt per 100 g, whereas the chicken products we included contained 1.6 g. We also saw variability between countries: chicken products from the UK contained 1.1 g of salt per 100 g, whereas chicken products from the US contained 1.8 g. Furthermore, the mean salt content of food categories varied between companies and between the same products in different countries (e.g., McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets contain 0.6 g of salt per 100 g in the UK, but 1.6 g of salt per 100 g in the US).

Interpretation: The salt content of fast foods varies substantially, not only by type of food, but by company and country in which the food is produced. Although the reasons for this variation are not clear, the marked differences in salt content of very similar products suggest that technical reasons are not a primary explanation. In the right regulatory environment, it is likely that fast food companies could substantially reduce the salt in their products, translating to large gains for population health.


  Elizabeth Dunford,
  Jacqueline Webster,
  Mark Woodward,
  Sebastien Czernichow,
  Wen Lun Yuan,
  Katharine Jenner,
  Cliona Ni Mhurchu,
  Michael Jacobson,
  Norm Campbell,
  Bruce Neal

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