Fast Food: Often Dangerously Salty

According to a current study by the British Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) www.actiononsalt.org.uk, children in particular consume a dangerous amount of salt when eating at fast food restaurants: the recommended daily allowance of salt is exceeded several times over at these diners. For example, a four-person family ingests around 12.3 grams of salt per person when eating a typical Pizza Hut menu (consisting of a Cheesy Bites Meat Feast, Medium Super Supreme, garlic bread, a serving of potato wedges, chicken wings and Madagascan vanilla cheesecake for dessert) Yet adults are advised to consume just roughly six grams of salt a day, and children between the ages of four and six should not have more than ca. three grams of salt a day. Heavy salt consumption in dietary habits has become a particular focus of scientific research in the field of bowel cancer. (eap)