Gail's club sandwich has the salt of five McDonald's cheeseburgers

The upmarket bakery’s Smoked Chicken Caesar Club contains 6.88g of salt, exceeding the daily recommended intake for adults in one meal

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/gails-club-sandwich-salt-five-mcdonalds-cheeseburgers-bpwqs0psw

https://archive.ph/rzfxj



A Gail’s club sandwich contains as much salt as five McDonald’s cheeseburgers, a new study has warned. The upmarket bakery’s smoked chicken caesar club contains 6.88g of salt, meaning it exceeds the recommended daily salt limit for adults of 6g in one sandwich alone. The sandwich is so salty that it is also the equivalent of eating ten rashers of streaky bacon, according to the report warning of the health risks of “lunch on the go”.



Researchers at Action on Salt, a group of specialists based at Queen Mary University of London, surveyed 546 sandwiches, wraps and baguettes sold in supermarkets and high street chains. Consumer research shows that more than half of Britons eat a sandwich every day, but the report found many of the most popular sandwiches are dangerously salty, exposing people to “hidden health risks every time they buy lunch”. Eating lots of salt causes high blood pressure, a condition which affects about one in three adults in England. High blood pressure is known as the “silent killer” as it usually has no symptoms but is responsible for about half of all heart attacks and strokes.


Gail’s smoked chicken caesar club also contains 18g of saturated fat

According to the report, several of the worst sandwich offenders are sold at Gail’s, which runs 185 sites across the UK and has expanded rapidly in recent years. Gail’s club sandwich, which costs £8.90 and features three layers of bread, chicken and bacon, is the saltiest sandwich on the High Street. The sandwich also contains more than 1,000 calories and delivers 90 per cent of an adult woman’s maximum daily saturated fat limit. Other Gail’s sandwiches were found to be particularly high in salt. For example, Gail’s smoked salmon bagel contains 4.2g of salt, and Gail’s ham and cheese croissant contains 2.6g — the saltiest croissant in the survey.

Of the 546 sandwiches surveyed, nearly half would carry a red “high” salt warning on front of pack labelling, with 32 delivering half or more of an adult’s maximum daily limit in a single serving. Other particularly salty sandwiches include PAUL’s rosette sandwich, made from salami, cheese and gherkins, containing 4.19g of salt, and Pret a Manger’s ham & grevé baguette, with 3.85g per serving. In general, sandwiches and wraps from upmarket chains such as Gail’s tended to be more salty than those from supermarkets or from Gregg’s. The report calls on the government to introduce mandatory limits on salt in sandwiches. The government introduced voluntary salt reduction targets for the food industry two years ago, but campaigners say this has been ineffective.

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