Key Findings of the Cooking Sauces Salt Study at The George Institute for Global Health
* Salt content was highest in powdered sauces, with some containing half a family's recommended daily salt intake in one serve alone.
* For powdered sauces, McCormick Garlic & Rosemary Lamb Shanks topped the list with 22.38 grams of salt per 100 grams compared with Maggi Tomato & Onion Sausages (1.79g salt/100g), which had the least amount of salt.
* There was a huge variation in the amount of salt between brands for tomato based pasta sauces, with some containing 90 times more salt than others.
* On average, the salt content in meal-based sauces increased by 29% from 2010-2017, with Asian/black bean sauces containing the most salt (2.37g salt/100g)
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* Curry pastes also contained high levels of salt, with some containing 20 times more salt than others.
* McCormicks powder-based sauces were found to have the highest salt content of all cooking sauces, and Tenuta Fragassi tomato-based cooking sauces the least.
Tips for Consumers
* Read the label
* Cooking sauces, aim for less than 400mg of sodium (salt) per 100g
* Try using less of the packet - using half of the packet or jar will reduce the amount of salt consumed
* Fresh is best - eat more fresh foods to reduce the reliance on packaged foods
* Download the FoodSwitch app to scan the barcode, which will show the sodium content
