Saltier fast food in New Zealand

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 - 19:30 in Health & Medicine

The overall results for New Zealand’s fast foods were similar to those of Australia, with the sodium content amounting to an average of 1.3 grams per 100 grams. Image: jirkaejc/iStockphoto New Zealand’s fast foods on average contain 8 percent more sodium than comparable foods in the UK and a massive 18 percent more than those in France, as shown in an international study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.“This is a high risk to our population’s health and gives an urgent message about the need for change,” says Associate Professor Cliona Ni Mhurchu from The University of Auckland’s Clinical Trials Research Unit, one of ten researchers from six countries represented in the study. “If the UK and France have similar products with much lower salt levels, this shows that New Zealand could be – and should be – heading in the same direction.“In the UK there is a long-standing programme where...

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