UK’s saltiest pizzas revealed… so how bad is YOUR favourite?

Takeout pizzas are a potential health hazard, as they contain up to three times the recommended daily amount of salt, a study has found.

Campaigners are calling on the government to introduce a tax on salt, incentivizing the food industry to reduce the amount they use.

They accuse companies of displaying a ‘complete disregard for public health’ and ‘making a mockery’ of Britain’s voluntary reformulation program after their investigation found that some pizzas have become saltier in recent years.

Salt is used to preserve food and improve its flavor, but it is a major cause of high blood pressure, the leading cause of death in the world.

High blood pressure — or hypertension — is responsible for 60 percent of strokes and 50 percent of heart disease.

Researchers at Action on Salt, based at Queen Mary University in London, analyzed the salt content of 1,387 pizzas sold by supermarkets, restaurants and takeaways.

Adults are advised not to eat more than 6 grams of salt per day, but half of the pizzas studied contained more than this, rising to two in three of pizzas sold by restaurants and takeaways.

The saltiest was Domino’s “The Sizzler Standard Mozzarella Stuffed Crust Medium Pizza,” which contained 21.38 g — that’s more than three days of salt in one meal.

This makes it saltier than seawater and as salty as three and a half jars of olives.

Takeout pizzas typically contain more than twice as much salt as supermarket-bought pizzas, the findings suggest.

The saltiest supermarket pizza was ‘The Pizza Company Takeaway Pizza the Pepperoni Party’ at 9.2g – saltier than three McDonald’s Big Macs and French fries.

Pizzas supply British adults with 3,224 tonnes of salt each year, which is enough to cover Wembley Stadium’s football pitch with more than 12 inches of salt.

Despite a government plan to reduce salt in the UK’s diet, 43 per cent of restaurant and takeaway pizzas still exceed reduction targets, as do 14 per cent of pizzas sold in supermarkets.

In addition, many takeaway and restaurant pizzas now contain more salt than they did in 2014, when Action on Salt last analyzed them.

For example, Domino’s Tandoori Hot Standard Mozzarella Thin & Crispy Crust now contains 14.36 g of salt, compared to 5.3 g nine years ago – nearly three times as much.

However, some companies have successfully reduced total salt levels, with Goodfella’s, Pizza Express and Dr Oetker reducing their levels by 29 percent, 24 percent and 22 percent, respectively.

Action on Salt wants Health Secretary Steve Barclay and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to work together to reduce the salt content of food, either through legislation or through a levy, similar to the tax on sugary drinks.

Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Queen Mary University of London and chair of Action on Salt said: ‘Reducing salt is the most cost-effective measure to lower blood pressure and reduce the number of people suffering from strokes and heart to change life. disabilities that come with this – all of which are completely avoidable.

‘According to the Ministry of Health and Social Care, every gram less salt intake per day saves more than 4,000 premature deaths per year.

“Given this, it’s a shame that food companies continue to stuff our food with as much salt as there’s the opportunity to reformulate, which our research says they can easily do.”

“The government must act now for our future health, while also saving the NHS many billions of pounds.”

Goodfella’s, Morrisons and the Co-op were selected for producing supermarket pizzas with the lowest salt intake, alongside restaurant and take-out chains Bella Italia, Pizza Express and Fireaway.

Zizzi, Franco Manca and Crosta & Mollica and Domino’s, Papa John’s and Caprinos were identified as having higher levels.

The latest figures show that adults in the UK consume 8.4g of salt per day, which is 40 per cent more than the recommended daily intake.

Most of this salt intake comes from packaged and prepared foods, which cannot be removed by the consumer.

Sonia Pombo, a registered nutritionist and campaign manager at Action on Salt, said: ‘Despite our reliance on the food industry to give us access to better, healthier options, it is outrageous to see some companies ignoring the overwhelming evidence in support of salt reduction . , and even worse, increase the salt content further.

“These companies are displaying a complete disregard for public health and mocking our voluntary reformulation program.

“We know it’s possible to reduce salt in pizzas, as demonstrated by some responsible companies, so there’s no reason others can’t do the same.”

Mhairi Brown, a registered nutritionist and policy leader with Action on Salt, said: “The government showed brilliant leadership when it launched the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, a tax on sugary drink manufacturers that lowered the amount of sugar the nation was unknowingly drinking without increasing it. raise prices.

“The Chancellor must now extend this successful levy to food companies that refuse to reduce the excessive salt content in their food, to protect our health, our economy and our NHS.”

A Domino’s Pizza Group spokesperson said: ‘At Domino’s, we offer over 400 varieties of pizza designed to meet a range of dietary needs and preferences, for sharing with friends and family.

“Within our wide range of pizzas there are large variations in salt content, including – as the report indicates – pizzas where the salt content has been significantly reduced.

Action at Salt’s workplace is important, but they haven’t made it clear that our medium pizzas in the study are significantly more substantial than supermarket pizzas and can feed up to three people.

“Distributed that way, most of our range is below the government’s daily targets for salt and calories.

“We recognize the importance of offering our customers more choice and we continue to explore new ways to reduce the salt content of our pizzas.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Social Care said the government is keeping all taxes under control.

They added: ‘Our salt reduction program has reduced the amount of salt in food by around 20 per cent – helping to prevent nearly 70,000 heart attacks and strokes while reducing the strain on the NHS.

‘We are also taking strong action by restricting the location of foods high in fat, salt or sugar, which will deliver health benefits of more than £57bn and save the NHS £4bn.

‘We will continue to work closely with the industry to make it easier for people to make healthier choices.’

Most British adults don’t know what the recommended maximum daily salt intake is, according to a poll for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Only 19 percent of those surveyed cited the government’s recommended maximum of 6 g per day, which is about a teaspoon of salt, while 65 percent were not confident about estimating their daily salt intake.

The BHF survey of more than 2,000 UK adults also found that 86 per cent of those surveyed correctly stated that most of the salt consumed in the UK comes from food bought in shops or eaten away from home. is served.

John Maingay, the BHF’s director of policy and advocacy, said: ‘This research clearly shows that people don’t feel they know how much salt they are eating, and just people giving information will not help if there is a high level of salt. salt content in so much of the food we buy.

“There is a clear case for helping people eat healthier by removing salt from food before it is bought. We need government intervention to encourage all parts of the food industry to do their part and reduce the amount of salt they serve us.’