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From tomato sauce to chicken crisps, these popular supermarket items are staples of many Kiwi kitchens, but New Zealand’s consumer watchdog warns they might be taking a toll on your health.
A Consumer NZ study has found several common processed foods contain potentially dangerously high levels of sodium.
The watchdog found tomatoes, for example, rose dramatically in sodium levels as the product became processed into another form of food.
Per 100g, fresh tomatoes contain 2mg of sodium, while the minimally processed Wattie’s tomatoes chopped in purée tins contain 145mg, according to Consumer NZ researcher and test writer Belinda Castles.
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By comparison, Delmaine’s sun-dried tomatoes in a jar contains 1470mg of sodium per 100g – 735 times more sodium than fresh tomatoes.
Wattie’s soup for one creamy tomato clocked in 370mg of sodium, and Wattie’s tomato sauce contained 935mg of sodium.
Consumer NZ
Avoid these popular supermarket foods to cut down sodium
“People would expect there to be more sugar and sodium in tomato sauce than fresh tomatoes, but these levels may come as a shock,” says Castles.
Another food tested was pork, which contains 85mg of sodium per 100g, while ultra-processed Verkerks Dutch salami was found to contain a shocking 1673mg.
Other ultra-processed offenders include Bluebird’s original chicken chips, which contain 788mg of sodium per 100g, and Highmark Premium golden soy sauce, which holds a whopping 6780mg of sodium per 100g.
Consumer NZ
These are the popular supermarket foods to avoid to cut down sodium
A serve of Verkerks Dutch salami is listed on the packet as 16g. Wattie’s lists a single serve of sauce as 15g, while a serve of chicken chips is 27g.
A diet high in sodium can lead to an increased risk of high blood pressure and stroke, according to the Ministry of Health, which recommends adult Kiwis limit their intake to 2g of salt (or 2000g of sodium), which is approximately a teaspoon, per day.
Most New Zealanders consume double the maximum recommended daily salt intake, and around 75% of this comes from processed and packaged foods, says The Stroke Foundation.
“A diet high in sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure, the number one cause of stroke which currently affects one in five New Zealanders,” Stroke Foundation CEO Jo Lambert says.
“Stroke is the second-biggest killer in New Zealand and the leading cause of serious adult disability.”
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