A study by The George Institute for Global Health in collaboration with VicHealth and the Heart Foundation has uncovered the "hidden" salt content of more than 2000 cooking sauce products, sold in the four major supermarkets.
It found salt intake was highest in powdered sauces that are used commonly for casseroles, curries and pasta bakes.
McCormick Garlic & Rosemary Lamb Shanks was the saltiest with 22.38 grams of salt per 100 grams.
Among the stable shelf sauces, Asian black bean sauces topped the list with 2.37 grams of salt per 100g.
A huge variation in salt content was also found among tomato-based pasta sauces, ranging from 0.02g to 1.88g salt per 100g.
Barilla Olive pasta sauce stood out for its high content (1.88 salt/100g).
Actully, The World Health Organisation recommends people consume no more than 5mg of salt per day. Data from the Australian Health Survey shows Australians are currently consuming nearly double that.
Heart Foundation Victoria CEO Kellie-Ann Jolly said that Excessive salt intake is directly linked to blood pressure, so if you are eating high amounts of salt through your diet you are more likely to have high blood pressure which increases your risk of particularly stroke, heart and kidney disease.
In fact, another consequence of a high-salt diet may be obesity. A survey shows that nearly two-thirds of Australian adults are currently overweight or obese.
Is obesity a genetic disease or an all-consuming lifestyle issue? The personal and scientific realities of Australia's obesity epidemic are examined in SBS's new three-part weekly documentary series: 'The Obesity Myth', debuting on Monday 4 September on SBS at 7.30pm. #TheObesityMyth
