Salty coffee shop snacks should have clear labels, says heart charity

A new survey has found some coffee shops are selling bakery treats packed with high levels of salt.

The investigation by the Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) found some coffee shop snacks contained as much as 2.1g of salt per portion, more than a third of your recommended daily allowance.

Policy manager at the British Heart Foundation, Beatrice Brooke, said:

“There is an incredible amount of salt in some of these sweet treats but it’s often hidden from customers.

“Food manufacturers and shops should give people clear information about what’s in the food they’re buying.

“Universal front-of-pack labels with simple traffic light colours would help people to make healthy choices more easily, whether they’re in a supermarket or coffee shop.”

The survey involved 159 bakery treats and 28 popular hot drinks from the six major high street coffee shop chains.

For more information please call the BHF press office on 0207 554 0164 or 07764 290 381 (out of hours) or email newsdesk@bhf.org.uk