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Metro
19-05-2025
- Health
- Metro
The unhealthiest supermarket sandwiches with more calories than a Big Mac
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. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ View More » MORE: Drop waist dresses are everywhere at the moment — here are some of our favourites MORE: I rarely buy drinks from Co-op — but £7.35 bottle blew me away MORE: How Lush stood the test of time — 30 years of bath bombs and shower jellies
Metro
13-05-2025
- Health
- Metro
The unhealthiest supermarket ready meals revealed
The UK's unhealthiest ready meals have been revealed, with one offering containing more salt than two margarita pizzas. Campaign group Action on Salt analysed 1,511 ready meals sold across 11 major retailers, including Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and M&S. Iceland was named the worst performing supermarket, with 84% of its ready meals considered to be high in salt, including the Taste of Italy vegetable lasagne, which has 3.9g per 400g. That's 5.4 times as much salt as the Weight Watchers butternut squash and spinach lasagne, which the study recommends as a healthier alternative, with just 0.72g. However, it was the Cottage Pie by ready meal brand Royal that came out saltiest in show overall, with 6.12g per 400g serving, which is saltier than two margarita pizzas combined and exceeds the recommended daily limit for an adult of 6g salt per day. The study found more than half (55%) of UK ready meals are 'excessively' high in salt content and one in five microwave meals are high in salt, fat and saturated fat – which necessitates three red warning labels on the packaging. Aldi, Lidl, Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury's followed Iceland, with more than 50% of their ready meals ranking high in salt (at 70%, 64% and 54% respectively), while Morrisons performed slightly better at 40%. However, it's worth noting that some supermarkets have contested the findings. A spokesperson from Iceland told Metro: 'This report is inaccurate, selective, and not supported by a fair reading of the underlying data. Its lazy analysis is based on a sample of just 69 Iceland products – significantly fewer than the 190 to 194 products analysed for other major retailers. 'Drawing headline conclusions from a much smaller sample undermines the reliability of any ranking or comparison,' they added. 'Iceland performs better than, or on par, with other major supermarkets and manufacturers in regard to calorie content. In fact, 90% of the products that Iceland sell are classified as 'healthy' under the government nutritional profile model.' It's bad news for the Marks and Spencer's chicken and bacon pasta bake, too, which has 3.52g (per 400g) of salt per serving, while the lamb hot pot has 3.38g (per 450g) and the 'best ever' mac and cheese 3.30g (per 375g). Think a curry would be safer? It's time to reassess, as the Royal chicken tikka masala with saffron rice has 4.68g per 400g, while its less salty alternative, Lidl's high protein chicken tikka masala with rice and vegetables, has 6.5 times (or 3.96g) less at 0.72g. Lily Keeling, a registered nutritionist for Green Chef, previously told Metro: 'Ultra-processed foods are often calorie dense but lack nutrients. They are almost always convenient, have a long shelf life and are flavour enhanced to taste good, making them prevalent in our diets. 'After eating them for a few days, they can cause greater spikes in blood sugar and lead to hunger pangs returning quickly, making us less energised and never satisfied. This cycle can lead to overeating, as we consume food at a pace that is too quick for our brains to recognise how full we are.' Kerry Beeson, a nutritional therapist at Prep Kitchen, also warns that when you first start eating UPFs, you might initially feel a 'boost' due to the high sugar/salt or caffeine content they contain and this 'tricks' you into thinking the food is good for you, when it's not. She explained: 'Caffeine is a stimulant, which gives us an energy boost, and sugary foods result in a spike in our blood sugar which has a similar effect, or sugar rush. The ingredients in these foods can also act on the 'reward' cycle in our brain, stimulating the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine which make us feel good. Unfortunately, these effects are short-lived, and we soon come crashing down to feel tired and sluggish.' Notably, Charlie Bigham's chilli con carne was also given a red label for salt content at 2.52g per 400g. By comparison, Morrisons' counted chilli has 0.89g per 350g – 1.63g less. 'At Charlie Bigham's, flavour always comes first. We make food which is as tasty as possible, listening carefully to consumer feedback on the taste of dishes to make sure they reflect consumer palette,' said Patrick Cairns, CEO of Charlie Bigham's. 'We have been slowly reducing the amount of salt we put in our food and will continue to do so.' To mark Salt Awareness Week (May 12-18), Action on Salt is demanding that the UK government 'get tough' on the food industry and end 'voluntary inaction.' 'With over half of ready meals found to be unacceptably high in salt, consumers' health are being put at serious risk, often without realising it. It should not be this hard to eat healthily,' said Sonia Pombo, head of impact and research at the organisation. More Trending 'We now need the government to stop pandering to industry interests and introduce mandatory salt reduction targets with real consequences for non-compliance. Enough is enough.' For Dr Pauline Swift, chair of Blood Pressure UK, the survey is a 'stark wake-up call,' considering that excess salt consumption is 'directly linked' to raised blood pressure – a risk factor for strokes, heart disease, and kidney disease. View More » 'Given it is estimated that around 4.2 million adults in England are living with undiagnosed high blood pressure, the government must act now to enforce stronger salt reduction targets and protect public health before even more lives are needlessly lost,' she said. Royal cottage pie – 6.12g / 400g Royal chicken tikka masala with saffron rice – 4.68g / 400g Sainsbury's free from spaghetti bolognese – 4.35g / 300g Iceland (Taste of Italy) vegetable lasagne – 3.9g / 400g M&S chicken and bacon pasta bake – 3.52g / 400g M&S lamb hot pot – 3.38g / 450g M&S Our Best Ever mac and cheese – 3.30g / 375g Kershaw's homestyle beef dinner – 3.10g / 400g Bistro by Asda fish pie – 2.9g / 400g Charlie Bigham's chilli con carne – 2.52g / 400g. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: Urgent recall for sandwiches and snacks over listeria outbreak with 10 hospitalized in US MORE: Trump calls European Union 'in many ways nastier than China' MORE: McDonald's brings back Pokémon Happy Meals — with toy that 'sells for thousands'
