Pub groups criticised over “dangerous” salt usage

18-Mar-2011 - Last updated on 26-Apr-2021 at 20:11 GMT

CASH: Caterers need to be more aware of how much salt the use

Wetherspoons, Punch Taverns and Hungry Horse Pubs have been criticised for using too much salt in their pie dishes, after research revealed levels exceeded the recommended daily allowance.

With a 7.5g salt content, Wetherspoon’s Chicken & Mushroom Pie with chips or mash, gravy and peas was found to be the worst offender, delivering 125 per cent of the maximum recommended daily allowance (MDA) of just 6g.

The chain’s British Beef and Abbot Ale Pie with chips or mash, gravy and peas was also found to contain more than the MDA, with 6.7g of salt per meal.

The research by Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) revealed that all the pie and mash meals offered by a range of pubs contained more than 3g of salt, with five meals containing more than 6g.

Those five also included the Lamb and Mint Pie meal (6.5g) and Steak and Ale Pie meal (6.3g) from Punch Taverns and the Beef and Ale Pie meal (6.18g) from Hungry Horse Pubs.

National Salt Awareness Week

With 46 per cent of men claiming pie and mash to be one of their favourite dishes, CASH is aiming to raise awareness of the dangers of eating too much salt.

Graham MacGregor, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at The Wolfson Institute and Chairman of CASH, said: “With the food industry still putting so much salt in men's favourite foods, it is no wonder men are at risk of serious health problems such as stroke and heart attacks, the commonest causes of death and disability in the UK. Cutting men’s salt intake from the current 10g a day to the recommended maximum of 6g a day could reduce their risk of having a stroke by up to 20 per cent and of having a heart attack by up to 12 per cent.”

CASH found that the salt in mashed potato and gravy could be doubling the overall level eaten in a pub’s pie and mash dish. Punch Taverns’s Lamb and Mint Pie contains 3.5g of salt alone, but the amount in it’s accompaniments raises the overall level to 6.5g.