Supermarket salads get a dressing down
25 June 2009
If you think salad is always a healthy option, think again, says Which? as it found a salad sold at a supermarket containing more calories than a Big Mac and fries.
The consumer organisation bought a selection of 20 pre-packed salads on the high street.* It found Smedleys Atlantic Prawn Marie Rose Salad, £1.49 (300g), which was on sale at Morrisons, contained 855 calories and 66.3g fat, which is more than a McDonald’s Big Mac and medium fries and 70% of the fat a man should eat in a day.
Another unhealthy option was Asda Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad, £2 (297g), which contained 41.3g of fat, nearly as much as six Cadbury’s Creme eggs. Almost a quarter of the salad is made up of high-calorie dressing (13% mayonnaise, 10% Caesar dressing).
Mayonnaise or creamy sauces were often the reason many of the salads were so surprisingly high in calories and fat. Mayonnaise dressing was the second highest ingredient (27%) in an M&S Pasta with Tomato & Basil Chicken salad, £3.20 (380g), which had 760 calories and 46g fat.
Sainsbury’s Tomato & Basil Chicken salad, £2.95 (350g), was also comparatively high in fat. The label specified that it had no mayo but the ingredients list revealed that it contained egg yolk, oil and white wine vinegar - the same ingredients as mayonnaise.
Another potentially confusing label was on a Tesco Tuna Layered Salad. At a glance, it seems the salad contains 275 calories and 20.5g fat - but this is for half the pack. If you eat the whole 350g pack (a reasonable amount for one person), you would consume 550 calories and 41g fat.
Which? wants food companies to adopt one label so that shoppers can see at a glance levels of fat, sugar and salt. Definitive research by the Food Standards Agency shows that a combined label including traffic light colours, guideline daily amounts, grams of nutrients per portion and the words ‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘low’ works best for consumers.
It’s not all bad news for salad lovers, though, as salads can contribute to their ‘five-a-day’. Sainsbury’s Rainbow Salad, £2.20 (215g), contains lots of vegetables and has soya beans and lentils, which are low in fat and a good source of protein. The dressing is on the side, so you can add as much or as little as you want. Another healthy option is Sainsbury’s Thai Chicken Noodle, £2.95 (260g), which also has the dressing in a separate container and is low in fat, salt and sat fat.
Martyn Hocking, Editor, Which?, says:
“If you thought your high-street salad was healthy, you could be in for a surprise. Which? has found that there were large differences between the amount of fat, saturated fat, salt and calories in pre-packaged salads. Check the label or you could end up with egg on your face.
“This latest research backs up what we’ve been saying for ages - a clear, consistent labelling scheme is important to help people spot how much fat, sugar and salt is in the food they’re buying.”
- Ends –
Notes to Editor
*Which? bought a selection of 20 pre-packed salads from Asda, Boots, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose to check on calories, fat, saturated fat and salt.
Work out how healthy your salad is with the Which? food shopping card at www.which.co.uk/shoppingcard
How to make a healthier choice:
- Look for a salad with lots of different colours as it’s likely to have one or two of your ‘five a day’.
- Look for salads that contain separate containers of dressing, as they allow you to add as much or as little as you want.
- Salads that have a lot of cheese are often high in fat. Vegetarians looking for a lower fat option, go for something with pulses or beans.