21st June 2023
High street sushi can be even saltier than two Big Macs, according to The Daily Mail showed.
The paper audited dozens of options sold at Wasabi and Itsu, with Itsu’s vegan sushi collection found to contain roughly 5.8g of salt. This is almost all of an adult’s daily recommended allowance and around two-and-a-half times what is found in McDonald’s hallmark burger (2.2g). Similarly high levels of salt were found in Wasabi’s spicy salmon roll (5.4g) and its harmony set (5.3g).
Adults are advised to eat no more than 6g of salt per day. Hannah Whittaker, a registered dietician, said the sushi itself can be beneficial for our health but it is added sauces people must look out for.
“One significant part of sushi packs is the small bottle of soya or other sauces that are provided to generally add flavour,” she saod “However, it is important to consider the salt content of this tiny packet and the impact on our health. Opt for low-sodium soy sauce. These options can help reduce overall sodium/salt intake while still providing flavour. Even better, omit the soya sauce.”
Nutritionist and campaign lead at Action on Salt, Sonia Pombo, said: “Most of our salt intake is already in the food we buy, and we simply can’t take it out once it’s been added.”
A Wasabi spokesperson said: “Across the Wasabi range, we have a large number of low salt, low sugar and low fat dishes, freshly prepared in Wasabi stores every day. Our nutrition team is constantly exploring ways to reduce salt and saturated fat content in certain dishes without affecting the flavour that our customers love.”