The unhealthiest supermarket sandwiches with more calories than a Big Mac

Metro

19-05-2025

You might think you're being healthy by picking up a meal deal over a McDonald's on your lunch break.
However, a recent analysis has found some of the most popular sandwiches on the high street contain more fat than fast food burgers.
In fact, many of them have more calories than a McDonald's cheeseburger or a bar of chocolate.
The news comes after campaign group Action on Salt analysed 1,511 ready meals sold across 11 major retailers, including Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and M&S.
The research found that Iceland was the worst performing supermarket, with 84% of its ready meals considered to be high in salt, including the Taste of Italy vegetable lasagna, which has 3.9g per 400g.
So if you're looking for a more nutritious meal this lunch time, these are the sarnies you might want to avoid.
Waitrose's No.1 The Perfect Ploughman's Cornish Cheddar Sandwich was the worst offender.
The supermarket sandwich contains 13.1g of saturated fat – more than two McDonald's cheeseburgers, which have just 5.4g each.
M&S's Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese Ploughman was another high-fat option, packing 11.3g of saturated fat.
That's more than a Big Mac, which contains 8.8g.
According to the analysis by MailOnline, both sandwiches contain over half of the NHS's recommended daily saturated fat limit for women (20g) and nearly half of the limit for men (30g).
The analysis discovered Pret's Posh Cheddar & Pickle Baguette sandwich contained 643 calories, more than two McDonald's cheeseburgers (295 calories each) or an entire Big Mac (494 calories)
When it came to sugar content, the analysis discovered Sainsbury's Brie Bacon & Chilli Chutney Sandwich topped the charts, with 19.7g of sugar.
To give this some context, you'd need to wolf down two KitKat chocolate bars with 10.3g of sugar to beat the sandwich's sugar content.
M&S's All Day Breakfast Sandwich – a popular sandwich option which costs £4 – has nearly 10.1g of sugar.
This is only slightly less than a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnut, which has 12g of sugar.
The NHS recommends that adults only consume a maximum of 30g every day (about six teaspoons) to reduce the risk of weight gain and tooth decay.
The analysis discovered Pret's Ham & Greve Baguette contained a high amount of salt, compared to fast food picks.
The baguette contained 3.85g of salt, making it saltier than four portions of large McDonald's fries (0.82g each).
M&S's Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese contained 1.78g – more than two large McDonald's fries.
To put this into perspective, the NHS advises adults to consume less than 6g of salt per day.
Not all supermarket sandwiches are unhealthy.
Tesco's Chicken Salad Sandwich, part of its £3.60 Clubcard meal deal, boasts low fat and sugar content and contains a medium level of salt.
The sandwich, which contains lemon and pepper mayo, contains 5.8g of fat, 4.5g of sugars and 0.99g of salt. More Trending
Waitrose Roast Chicken Salad Sandwich also has a low fat (5.2g), sugar (4.4g) and a medium salt level (1.12g).
Supermarkets also offer plenty of healthy alternatives, such as salads, protein pots and grain bowls, such as M&S's Roast Chicken & Egg Protein Pot or Waitrose's Feta & Beetroot Salad Bowl.
The contents of each meal, including fat, sugar, salt and total calories, are usually clearly listed on the front of the packaging.
Metro has contacted Waitrose for comment.
Fat
Too much fat in your diet, especially saturated fats, can raise your cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease, the NHS website says.
The UK government guidelines advise cutting down on all fats and replacing saturated fat with some unsaturated fats.
The government recommends that men should not eat more than 30g of saturated fat a day, women no more than 20g, and children should have less.
Sugar
The NHS warns that eating too much sugar can have effects on your health, including weight gain and tooth decay.
The government recommends that free sugars (sugars added to food or drinks, and sugars found naturally in honey, syrups, unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices etc) should not make up more than 5% of the energy (calories) you get from food and drink each day.
Salt
Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke. The NHS says it's easy to have too much salt, around three-quarters of the salt we eat comes from packaged and everyday foods we buy, such as bread, ready meals and cereals.
Adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day (around 1 level teaspoon). This includes the salt that's already in our food, and the salt added during or after cooking.
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