Last month it was bread - and now it is the turn of cakes, muffins and scones to be criticised for their salt content.
A study by Consensus Action on Salt and Health (Cash) found that while some food chains have made real efforts to cut salt levels, others have apparently failed to act.
Its research found that around 85% of popular coffee-break products contain as much salt as they did this time last year.
Cash said that a McDonald’s muffin marketed as a healthier option contained more salt than one of its burgers. The fast-food chain’s low-fat blueberry muffin has 1.7g of salt – more than in three packets of ready-salted crisps.
The figures come from health campaigners who claim that simple coffee-break snacks are part of the reason the nation is overdosing on salt every day.
Professor Graham MacGregor, of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, said: “Manufacturers need to stop hiding salt in their products and stop irresponsibly introducing new ones that are high in salt immediately.
“It is the high levels of salt in our food that puts up our blood pressure, leading to strokes and heart attacks.”
Cash nutritionist Kay Dilley said it was difficult for people to know how much salt was in a coffee-shop muffin or biscuit because of a poor labelling. “Without clear labelling we still have no idea how much salt we are eating in our coffee break,” she said.
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