The salty taste of a seaside break

Caravan and motorhome holidaymakers enjoy the opportunity to sample local cuisine, and eat out, but a warning has been issued today that many meals sold for children contain hidden salt and will exceed the recommended guidelines for daily consumption.

It is not only traditional fast food retailers who are guilty of the "season to taste" additions, but other favourites such as some plates of sausages, mash and baked beans.

Professor Graham MacGreggor, chairman of CASH and Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at St George's Hospital, said: "Ideally, parents should be cooking natural fresh food at home – fresh meat, vegetables and fruit.

"What she needs is the food industry to help her by producing really good products that are tasty, with far less salt and fat, and with more vegetables in."

The recommended intake for four to six-year-old children is half of the adult guideline of 6g of salt per day. For toddlers, they should only be ingesting 2g of salt each day.

29/01/2008 17:36:49