Adults consume salt equivalent to 22 bags of crisps, researchers warn
The findings have led campaigners to call on the government to take action to cut the amount of salt in food and help families make healthy eating choices
Adults in England are eating the same amount of salt as found in 22 bags of crisps a day, researchers have warned.
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Analysis by the British Heart Foundation found that, each week, working-age adults consume the equivalent in salt of 155 bags of ready salted, lightly salted or sea salt crisps.
This equates to 8.4g of salt every day, 40 per cent more than the officially-recommend maximum of 6g.
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BHF senior dietician Dell Stanford said: "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.
"This is bad news for our heart health, as eating too much salt significantly increases the risk of high blood pressure, a major cause of heart attacks, strokes and other serious diseases."
Dangerously high levels of salt can raise blood pressure, which is the single biggest cause of heart attacks and strokes.
Figures show at least 5,000 deaths a year from cardiovascular conditions are linked to this factor.
Three in 10 adults in the UK are thought to suffer from high blood pressure, known as hypertension. However, around five million do not know they have this condition.
The findings have led campaigners to call on the government to take action to cut the amount of salt in food and help families make healthy eating choices.
They suggest introducing limits on how much salt can be added to products, as well as fines to ensure compliance and levies on foods that exceed maximum salt thresholds.
Mr Stanford believes this would "give manufacturers an incentive to remove excessive amounts of salt from our food".
Sonia Pombo from campaign group Action On Salt added that the reducing salt intake is "one of the simplest, most cost-effective actions any government can take to improve population health".
"The vast majority of salt in our diets comes from the food we buy, not what we add at the table. That means the most effective action must focus on the food industry," she told Sky News.
A Department of Health spokesperson said it is "taking strong action to tackle health problems caused by poor diet as part of our 10-year health plan, which will shift the focus of care from sickness to prevention".