Takeaway meals sold near schools contain dangerous amounts of salt

The research, carried out by London Environmental Health Food Teams on behalf of Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH), highlights the food danger for teenagers hidden just outside the school gates. Environmental Health Food Teams in London took a snapshot of popular menu items bought by secondary school children from takeaway shops near approximately 45 schools in 16 London Boroughs. Despite some London boroughs having stay on site policies at lunchtime, fast food meals from local takeaway shops are still popular as after school snacks or as an alternative to school lunches. Meals chosen by secondary school children such as burgers, kebabs, pies, fried chicken and other fast food were analysed for their salt, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat and calorie content by Eurofins, a Public Analyst. The salt, calories and saturated fat content of the products throughout London were compared to and found to exceed the levels permitted in the average school lunch, as well as alternatives such as packed lunches and meals from national fast food chains. In fact, three in every four meals (54 out of 73) surveyed contained more salt than is permitted under the nutrient-based standards for secondary school lunches, and more than half (44 out of 73) contained more saturated fat. Kebab meals on average contributed almost 100% of an adult's daily maximum recommendation of salt of 6g. A donor kebab from Tip Top Fish and Chips in Ealing contained 7.4 g salt, more than an adult's entire daily maximum of 6g, and four times the secondary school nutrient-based standard for salt (1.785g). For saturated fat the kebab was even worse, containing 48.70g saturated fat per portion, over twice as much as an adult's daily maximum of 20g and six times more than the secondary school nutrient based standard for saturated fat (7.9g). Many of the takeaway items were worse than products from leading fast food chains such as McDonalds, Subway and Burger King. If traffic light labelling was used on these products, over one third (26 out of 73) of the items surveyed would be labelled red for salt, fat and saturated fat, which would immediately tell teenagers how unhealthy these foods are. Professor Graham MacGregor, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, and Chairman of CASH, said: "Research shows that children who eat higher salt diets have higher blood pressure, and are therefore much more likely to have heart attacks and strokes, than children who eat less salt. A high-salt diet is also linked with stomach cancer, osteoporosis and obesity." Helen Clark, area manager for Food Team, from the London Borough of Wandsworth, said there are ways to improve the salt intake: "It is possible to reduce the amount of salt, saturated and trans fat in these fried takeaway foods by changing the recipes and cooking methods and reducing the portion sizes. "Environmental Heath Officers across London are developing a London wide Healthy Food award scheme that will identify businesses including takeaways that have improved the nutrition of their food. Without nutritional labelling of restaurant food as proposed by the Food Standards Agency it is very difficult for children to choose a healthier option." The School Food Trust has consistently supported the use of stay on site policies at lunchtime, which are working well for many schools and have the backing of the majority of parents. The Trust's Chair, Rob Rees, said: "I think parents will be shocked to realise that their teenagers could be getting more than a day's dose of salt before they even get home from school. Of course teenagers will want to experiment and hang out with their friends. "But times have changed – schools are working really hard to give teenagers a lunchtime experience that can rival the high street whilst still being healthy. It's vital that this isn't undermined by nearby junk food outlets - that's why we support stay on site policies and steps to limit access to takeaway food around sch