Q. How can I work out what’s the best cut-off figure for salt?
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A. To be classified as a low-salt (low-sodium) food, the official cut-off figure is 120 milligrams sodium or less per 100 grams. This applies to all unsalted foods as it takes into account the small quantity of natural sodium present in foods.
But at this low level, it can be hard to produce good-tasting foods. So for breads, cereals, soups and cracker biscuits, anything below 400 mg is considered acceptable. Some organisations are even more lenient and set their cut-off higher at 600 mg or less to encourage manufacturers to gradually decrease what's being added.
| Jatz crackers | 665 mg |
| Cheddar cheese | 655 mg |
| Potato crisps | 640 mg |
| Bread, white or wholemeal | 570 mg |
| French fries | 340 mg |
Just so you can see how much you’ll save in sodium if you shop for low-salt products or make the switch from highly-salted processed foods, compare these two food examples:
| Canned tuna in brine | 415 mg | |
| Canned tuna in water | 82 mg | SAVING OF 333 mg sodium |
| Ham | 1480 mg | |
| Pork steak, cooked | 72 mg | SAVING OF 1408mg sodium |
