Adults of working age in England are consuming a daily amount of salt equivalent to that found in 22 individual bags of crisps, according to a stark new analysis.
The Crisp Comparison: Quantifying Excessive Salt
The research, published by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) on Tuesday 6 January 2026, calculated that adults eat the salt equivalent of 155 bags of ready salted, lightly salted, or sea salt crisps each week. This translates to an average daily intake of 8.4 grams of salt.
This figure is 40% higher than the official maximum recommended limit of 6 grams per day. To put it another way, it's roughly the same as consuming six extra packets of crisps worth of salt every single day. A standard 32-40g bag of salted crisps typically contains around 0.38g of salt.
Hidden Dangers and Health Consequences
BHF senior dietitian Dell Stanford explained the problem is often invisible. "Most of the salt we eat is hidden in the food we buy, such as bread, cereals, pre-made sauces and ready meals, so it's hard to know how much salt we're consuming," he said.
This excessive consumption poses a severe threat to cardiovascular health. Eating too much salt significantly increases the risk of high blood pressure, which is a major cause of heart attacks and strokes. The BHF links at least 5,000 deaths a year from heart and circulatory diseases to dangerously high salt intake.
It is estimated that three in ten UK adults have hypertension (high blood pressure), with around five million unaware they have the condition.
Calls for Government and Industry Action
Campaigners are urging ministers to implement stringent measures to force a reduction in the salt content of processed foods. Sonia Pombo from the group Action on Salt stated that reducing population salt intake is "one of the simplest, most cost-effective actions any government can take to improve population health."
She emphasised that "the vast majority of salt in our diets comes from the food we buy, not what we add at the table," meaning reform must target manufacturers. Proposals include:
- Legally binding salt reduction targets for all food categories.
- Sanctions and fines for companies that fail to comply.
- Levies on foods that exceed maximum salt thresholds.
- Compulsory front-of-pack labelling to help consumers identify high-salt products.
Dell Stanford urged the government to "give manufacturers an incentive to take out excessive amounts of salt from our food" to help families make healthier choices.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson responded, saying the government is "taking strong action to tackle health problems caused by poor diet" as part of a 10-year plan, citing restrictions on junk food advertising and promotions.
