A good dose of salt and vinegar probably makes fish and chips Britain’s favorite national dish.
But public health experts suggest chippies should take the lead in making takeaways healthier – by reducing the number of holes in salt shakers.
Making small changes – such as smaller portions – could help reduce the country’s bulging waistline, a House of Lords committee heard.
Amelia Lake, professor of Public Health Nutrition at Teesside University, said trials have proven popular, with most people not even noticing the salt reduction.
She said: ‘We have to think about what we do. These outlets are everywhere and usually they are run by local people and are a local business.
Public health experts suggest chippies should take the lead in making takeaways healthier – by reducing the number of holes in salt shakers. Making small changes – such as smaller portions – could help reduce the country’s bulging waistline, a House of Lords committee heard
Amelia Lake, professor of Public Health Nutrition at Teesside University, told the Food, Diet and Obesity Committee that takeaways are ingrained in society and important to local communities. When asked which initiatives have been successful, she added: ‘We worked with people who supplied the packaging and we worked with them to make a lighter bite box for fish and chips, it reduced the calories and we found that lots of people nice
“Those businesses are there and people like takeout.
‘But will they notice how many holes there are in the salt shaker? I’m the one who does that every time I go in, but other people don’t.’
In her speech to the Food, Diet and Obesity Committee, she said takeaways are ingrained in society and important to local communities.
As a result, reducing negative health impacts was about ‘working with what you have’, adding that companies were not opposed to behavior change.
When asked which initiatives have been successful, she added: ‘We worked with people who supplied the packaging and we worked with them to make a lighter bite box for fish and chips, it reduced the calories and we found that lots of people like it.
‘We looked at the number of holes in the salt shaker. By significantly changing the number of holes, the salt was significantly reduced.”
Salt is a known cause of high blood pressure, which causes thousands of people to suffer or die from a heart attack or stroke every year.
A program to reduce salt in the national diet saw the amount consumed fall by almost 20 percent, but this has risen again since it became effectively voluntary.
Andrew Crook, chairman of the National Federation of Fish Friers, said the public is in love with salt, while many traditional chippies are trying in vain to reduce consumption.
He said: ‘We don’t add salt unless the customer wants us to, and we get people saying, ‘Can I have some more’ when you try to reduce it.
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Around two-thirds of over-16s in England (64 percent) are overweight, including tens of thousands who are morbidly obese. This is an increase of 11 percent from 1993, when 53 percent were considered overweight. Experts blame a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet. Source: Health Survey for England 2021
“I have salt spreaders in my shop with six holes, while previously they had ten or twelve, but you often see people just stay there longer.”
Staff are trained not to add anything to the children’s meals and to add it to adult portions only when requested, he said.
‘For us it’s about giving consumers the choice and it’s up to the government to educate them on why it’s bad for them, rather than saying ‘no, you can’t have it’.
It is not time for British fish and chips to be the target of a public health response.
In 2010, the Food Standards Agency urged fryers to use larger, thicker chips as they absorb less fat.
Sonia Pombo, from Action on Salt, said small reductions go a long way in lowering blood pressure.
She said: ‘This shows how easy it can be to reduce your salt levels and still enjoy your fish and chips.
‘There’s no reason why initiatives like this shouldn’t extend to the rest of the hospitality sector, not just with salt shakers for customers, but also for chefs in the kitchens, who are notorious for oversalting food .’