From the pasta salad with more fat than a Burger King Whopper, to the salad sandwich with more calories than a Pizza Express pizza, new Which? research has revealed that many of the snacks we buy on the high street could be putting us on the highway to poor health.
We assessed the nutritional content of a variety of foods and drinks that people typically grab on the go from supermarkets, coffee shops and cafés. We found that some shop-bought salads and sandwiches are packed with so much fat, sugar, calories or salt, that sometimes you’d be better off choosing a burger or a pizza instead.
Which? members can read the full article ‘Fast food foes’ in the May issue of Which? magazine, but for a sneak peek at some of the snacks we name and shame, look through our gallery below.
If you’re not yet a Which? member, you can sign up to Which? to receive the magazine and full access to our website.
Salads and sandwiches gallery
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650 calories, 46.5g fat
Asda’s Piri Piri Chicken Pasta salad (290g) contains two thirds of an adult’s daily reference intake for fat (46.5g) and has more fat than a Burger King Bacon and Cheese Whopper. -
624 calories, 15.8g sugar, 24.1g fat, 12g saturates, 3.2g salt
This Caffe Nero Brie and Bacon Panini contains more calories than a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese. The bacon and brie give a big hit of fat, saturates and salt, while caramelised onions also add to the sugar content. -
602 calories, 15g sugar, 17g fat, 3.5g salt
The double whammy of mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce in this Gregg’s Mexican Chicken baguette increase both the sugar and fat content. The chilli sauce and the fajita flavouring swell the salt content to almost 60% of your daily reference intake. -
642 calories, 28.1g fat, 2.58g salt
The creamy mayonnaise dressing in this M&S pasta salad really pushes up the calories and fat content. The sweetcorn at least contributes to your five a day. -
694 calories, 37.1g fat, 2.8g salt
Although chicken is a low-fat filling, don’t be fooled by this sandwich. The mayonnaise and bacon push up the fat and salt content so that this now contains more calories and fat than a Pizza Express Classic Margherita pizza. -
683 calories, 38.6g fat
The packaging states that this pot (330g) contains seven servings but we think one person could easily eat this for lunch. If they did they will have consumed more calories than a Burger King Chicken Royale with Cheese. -
660 calories, 17.6g sugar, 26.8g fat, 9.1g saturates, 2.8g salt
While it may not be a surprise that a cheese sandwich contains fat this Pret Posh Cheddar and Pickle on Artisan has nearly half the daily saturated fat reference intake for an adult and contains more than three teaspoons of sugar. -
706 calories, 35.5g fat
This small 300g pot packs a massive 706 calories and 35.5g fat – half your daily reference intake for fat. Most of the fat comes from the mayonnaise but some also lurks in the creme fraiche and oil in the dressing.
Healthy lunches?
Asda’s Piri Piri Chicken Pasta Salad (290g) contains two thirds of an adult’s recommended daily fat intake (46.5g) and has more fat than a Burger King Bacon and Cheese Whopper. The packaging recommends the pot contains three servings, but we think it’s more likely that someone would eat this at lunch by themselves.
A Tomato and Basil Chicken Pasta (330g) from Morrisons contains seven servings but one person could easily eat this for lunch and would consume more calories (683) and fat (38.6g) than a Burger King Chicken Royale with Cheese burger (648 calories, 37.2g fat).
Meanwhile the Chicken and Smoked Bacon Salad on Soft Multigrain Farmhouse Bread from Marks & Spencer’s contains 694 calories and 37.1 gram of fat, which is more than a Pizza Express Classic Margherita pizza (683 calories, 22.5g fat).
Tempting treats like this aren’t necessarily better for you than a junk food snack
Sugar filled sandwiches
Caffè Nero’s Brie and Bacon Panini has more calories (624) than a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese (518 calories). The bacon and brie make the Panini high in fat (24.1g), saturates (12g) and salt (3.2g), while caramelised onions add to the sugar content (15.8g).
Pret’s Posh Cheddar and Pickle on Artisan contains 17.6g of sugar and Gregg’s Mexican chicken baguette contains 15g.
Our research shows how difficult it can be to make healthy choices when out and about.
Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: ‘People will be surprised to find some foods that many of us perceive to be a healthier choice may not necessarily be so. We want all manufacturers to adopt traffic light nutrition labelling and restaurants to display information about calorie content of food, so consumers can see exactly what products contain.’
- Find out the calorie and fat content of popular ready meals
- Tell us what foods you choose when you’re out and about
- Save money by ditching food supplements you don’t need