Ten foods which could tip you over daily limits

Favourite treats from pasties to pork pies could pose a risk to health because they contain more than the safe daily allowance for fat, salt or sugar, a food expert has claimed.
The top 10 were identified in an investigation by expert food and drink taster Martin Isark. Picture: Phil WilkinsonThe top 10 were identified in an investigation by expert food and drink taster Martin Isark. Picture: Phil Wilkinson
The top 10 were identified in an investigation by expert food and drink taster Martin Isark. Picture: Phil Wilkinson

Ten examples have been blamed – including gammon steaks, pork pies, pizzas and flavoured milk drinks – for containing high levels of the ingredients.

They were identified in an investigation by expert food and drink taster Martin Isark, founder of the consumer website Can I Eat It?

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For instance, he found that a single unsmoked gammon steak from Sainsbury’s contains 
6.8 grammes of salt – equivalent to 114 per cent of an adult’s recommended daily allowance (RDA).

A Ginsters Extra Large Cornish Pasty has 20.4g of saturated fat, which is 102 per cent of an adult’s RDA.

And a Pizza Express American pizza sold in a variety of supermarkets has 6.5g of salt, equal to 110 per cent of the RDA.

Four rashers of Wall’s unsmoked bacon contain 6.8g of salt, 112 per cent of the daily limit for the average adult, while Pork Farms Original Pork Pie, weighing 300g, contains 30.4g of saturated fat, which is 152 per cent of RDA.

Dessert lovers face a double dose of unhealthy ingredients, as sugar and fat content rockets in some supermarket favourites.

A Seriously Pistachio Hazlenut and Almond Milk Chocolate Egg from Waitrose contains 20g of saturated fat, equal to 100 per cent of RDA, plus 27.6g of sugar, equal to one third of RDA for sugar.

Terry’s Chocolate Orange contains 30.5g of saturated fat, more than 150 per cent of an adult’s RDA, as well as 102g of sugar, equal to 113 per cent of RDA.

Some drinks are in danger of pushing consumers over the health limit too.

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An Innocent Smoothie Pomegranate Blueberry and Acai drink contains 110g of sugar, which is 122 per cent of the RDA.

And a carton of Mars Flavoured Milk has 128g of sugar, which is 142 per cent of RDA.

Mr Isark said: “Your long-term health starts with the types of food and drink you put in your shopping trolley.“Food producers and supermarkets are in business to make a profit and there is nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately, this sometimes gets in the way of providing the very best nutritional information for their customers’ health.

“For example, their serving suggestions on the front of their products and on the product’s nutritional back label are often not the norm for their shoppers: half a pizza, quarter of pork pie, half tin of baked beans. It would be helpful and healthier if they also provided nutritional information for the whole product, not an unrealistic portion size.

“The encouragement of over-buying and over-eating has gone on for far too long, no wonder obesity, diabetes and heart disease are all on the increase.”

FEELING PECKISH? THINK TWICE

1 Sainsbury’s gammon steak (6.8g salt)

2 Ginsters Extra Large Cornish pasty (20.4g saturated fat)

3 Pizza Express American pizza (6.5g salt)

4 Four rashers of Wall’s unsmoked bacon (6.8g salt)

5 Pork Farms Original Pork Pie (30.4g saturated fat)

6 Waitrose Seriously Pistachio Hazelnut and Almond Milk Chocolate Egg (20g saturated fat)

7 Terry’s Chocolate Orange (30.5g saturated fat)

8 Innocent Smoothie Pomegranate, Blueberry and Acai drink (110g of sugar)

9 Mars Flavoured Milk (128g of sugar)

10 Pepsi 2-litre bottle (220g of sugar)

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