Fast Food Far Saltier in the US

Same products contain less salt in Europe, Australia
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 22, 2012 4:54 PM CDT
Fast Food Far Saltier in the US
American fast food is really, really salty.   (Shutterstock)

If you're craving some Chicken McNuggets, you're better off getting them in Europe than on this side of the pond. With 1.6 grams of salt per 100 grams of nugget, the American version is packed with more than twice the salt of British McNuggets, which contain 0.6 grams of salt, a study finds. Australian, Kiwi, and French McNuggets all have far less salt than American and Canadian ones, though the UK has the least—perhaps thanks to voluntary limits in the country, NPR reports.

In a comparison of fast food from six industry giants—McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Subway, Domino's, and Pizza Hut—the US has the saltiest fast food overall, the study says. Pizza was the saltiest fast food per serving, and Pizza Hut offered the saltiest of that; Subway sandwiches were the least salty. But even salads posed a problem, with some containing 7 grams of salt, nearly triple the daily recommended limit. The study's author suggests chains cut back slowly, rather than leaving customers to pick safer food. "You want to make sure that consumers don't have to make the healthy choice," she says. (More fast food stories.)

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