Healthy choices - low salt shopping guide

Struggling to know what’s in your food? Use this guide to reduce your intake of salt and saturated fat. Remember to keep an eye on your portion sizes.

Limit these foods Check the label! Low salt options

They are usually high in salt and/or saturated fat These foods can contain some salt and/or saturated fat Lower in salt and/or saturated fat
Eat only occasionally or as a treat Choose lower salt options Try and choose these foods
Bread, cereals and starchy foods Bread, cereals and starchy foods Bread, cereals and starchy foods
Sandwiches filled with cheese and/or processed meat Most breakfast cereals e.g. puffed rice, corn flakes, bran flakes, Some breakfast cereals e.g. shredded wheat, porridge oats and
Pizzas; muesli and wheat biscuits muesli with no added salt
Pot noodles and instant noodles Bread including rye and soda; Most sandwiches Grains e.g. couscous, bulgar wheat, quinoa, gnocchi, rice and
Processed pasta e.g. tinned in sauce, filled and pasta salad pasta Potatoes and plantain

Eggs and dairy Eggs and dairy Eggs and dairy

Whole milk, cream, soured cream and crème fraiche; Coconut Semi skimmed milk, soya milk including flavoured and soya cream 1% fat milk, skimmed milk, light soya milk and light soya cream;
cream/milk; Most cheeses e.g. cheddar, brie, stilton, parmesan, yoghurt and low fat crème fraiche Low fat/ fat free yoghurt, soya yogurt
cream and processed cheese; Quiches Cottage cheese and low fat cream cheese; Mozzarella
Eggs

Fats and oils Fats and oils Fats and oils

Some fats e.g. butter, ghee, dripping, lard and suet; Low fat spreads Some oils e.g. olive, rapeseed, canola, peanut/groundnut,
Some oils e.g. palm and coconut oil sunflower, sesame and corn oils
Pastry

Meat, fish and vegetarian alternatives Meat, fish and vegetarian alternatives Meat, fish and vegetarian alternatives
Processed meat e.g. pâté, ham, bacon, gammon, corned beef, Breaded poultry; Extra lean mince; Meat-based soup and ready Fresh, lean meat and white and oily fish;
burgers, sausages meals Tinned fish in water
Meat pies and sausage rolls Fish cakes, fish in batter or crumbs, fish in sauce; Tinned fish in oil Soya mince and tofu
Smoked fish; Prawns & shellfish; Tinned anchovies & tuna in Vegetarian sausages and burgers and meat free ready meals;
brine Vegetarian and meat free sausage rolls, pies and bacon Quorn

Fruits and vegetables Fruits and vegetables Fruits and vegetables

Vegetable pies Pickled vegetables; Processed potatoes e.g. croquettes, Fresh, frozen and dried fruits, vegetables and pulses
Some pre-prepared vegetable dishes waffles and oven chips; Baked beans; Tinned vegetables with salt Tinned fruit and vegetables with no added salt
added; Tinned fruit in syrup
Prepared salads; Vegetable soup and ready meals

Desserts and sweet snacks Desserts and sweet snacks Desserts and sweet snacks
Cakes, cheesecake and ice-cream; Most pastry- or cream-based Fruit buns; Frozen yogurt; Fruit crumble; Jelly; Fruit trifle; Sugar free jelly; low fat yoghurt; rice pudding
desserts; Hot chocolate made with milk or cream ‘diet’ desserts e.g. light chocolate mousse Fruits and fruit salad, ready prepared fruit snacks; dried fruit
Confectionary e.g. fudge, chocolate, toffee, sweets; Sweet biscuits Some sweet biscuits e.g. jaffa cakes, rich tea; reduced fat biscuits
Cereal bars, breakfast pots (yogurt-based)

Savoury snacks Savoury snacks Savoury snacks

Salted popcorn, crisps and salted or roasted nuts Flavoured breadsticks and low salt crisps; Crispbreads, oatcakes Unsalted popcorn; Rice cakes; Plain breadsticks
Sour cream- and mayonnaise-based dips and cheese dips and flavoured rice cakes; Savoury crackers and biscuits Unsalted nuts and seeds (in moderation); No added salt crisps
Cheese flavoured biscuits Dried wasabi peas Salsa dips
Olives; sundried tomatoes Most vegetable- or pulse- based dips e.g. hummus and guacamole

Cook-in sauces, table sauces and seasonings Cook-in sauces, table sauces and seasonings Cook-in sauces, table sauces and seasonings
All types of salt e.g. rock, sea and table salt; Stock cubes; Spreads Low salt stock cubes; Gravy Vinegar, lemon juice and wine
e.g. yeast extract (Marmite), chocolate spread, peanut butter; Table Pasta and curry sauces; Herbs and spices; Tomato puree
sauces e.g. soy, horseradish, bread and BBQ sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise, Packet sauces e.g. bread, cheese and onion sauce; Apple, cranberry and mint sauce
salad cream and mustard; Tabasco sauce; Curry paste; Pesto Chutneys & pickles

For more information on how to reduce your salt intake, please visit www.actiononsalt.org.uk Charity registration number: 1098818
 Check the label! Get into the habit of comparing similar products and
choose those with more greens and ambers and fewer
reds for a healthier diet.
What are the Reference Intakes of salt for children and
adults?
Adults should eat less than 6 g a day, and children much
About three quarters of the salt we eat is less. Babies 0-6 months should not be given any salt.
hidden in processed foods. Checking food Portion and Serving Sizes
Is sodium the same as salt?
and drink labels means you can see how Where portion sizes are given, see if it is how much you No, sodium is not the same as salt, it is in fact just a part
much salt you and your family are eating. are actually eating. E.g if a portion is stated as half of a of salt (sodium chloride). When only sodium data is given
This guide should help you to understand product (e.g. pizza), but you eat the whole product, you you will have to convert this to salt by multiplying the
will need to multiply the provided salt content by 2. figure by 2.5.
the labels.
Reference Intakes Do I need to check the label every time I go shopping?
Reference Intakes (RI’s) are general guidelines for the Look for your favourite brands, compare it with another
Labels on the front of food and drink packaging show
maximum amount you should eat in a day (6g of salt), product and choose the lower salt option. Next time you
simple information about the calories, fat, saturated fat
given as a percentage (%). If you are buying for children, go shopping, you don’t need to do it again! You can even
(saturates), sugars and salt content. The amounts will
remember that the RI for a child is far lower than for do this at home by looking in your food cupboards and on
be given ‘per portion’ in grams, along with colour coding
adults. supermarkets websites.
and Reference Intakes.

When salt is only given per 100g, you will need to work Can I find out how much salt is in my food when I’m
out how much salt will be contained in a portion. You can eating out?
do this by thinking about how much of the product you or Unfortunately that’s not easy, you can ask your server if
your child will be eating in relation to both the pack size they know how much salt is in your food, but we think it’s
and 100g. Look at the weight of the packet as a guide. best to ask for ‘Less Salt Please!’

How about food cooked at home?

How much salt? Make sure your ingredients have lots of ‘green label
ingredients’, like herbs, spices, garlic, chili and lemon.
Use the key below to determine whether your food Don’t add salt to your cooking or at the table, and you will
contains a high, medium or low amount of salt. have a low salt meal!
Colour coding
Per 100g Per 100g Per 100g Per portion Is there an easy way of finding
‘Traffic light’ labelling makes it easy to see at a glance if a how much salt is in my food?
product is high (red), medium (amber) or low (green) in Yes! Try our smartphone App,
Less Between More More
certain nutrients, including salt. than 0.3g and than than FoodSwitch! FoodSwitch is
0.3g 1.5g 1.5g 1.8g available to download for free
GREEN
from iTunes and Google Play.
Indicates that a product contains low amounts of this
nutrient. The more green circles, the healthier the choice.

AMBER Frequently asked questions:

Indicates that a product contains medium amounts of this
The traffic light colours for salt have changed on some
nutrient, so it’s an OK choice most of the time.
of my favourite products. Why is this?
RED It doesn’t necessarily mean the recipes have changed,
Indicates that a product contains high amounts of this the criteria used for the traffic light colours has been
nutrient, so enjoy this choice once in a while, or as a treat. updated.