Sardine or luncheon meat sandwiches may seem like the perfect meal in a hurry on a busy day.
But you will be surprised how vastly varied they could be in terms of sodium and fat contents.
The Consumer Council and the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) have collaborated in a series of joint studies to promote consumer awareness and use of nutrition labelling of prepackaged food products.
The study looked at instant noodles last month. This time, it was about canned luncheon meat, canned sardines and prepackaged sandwich bread.
The two studies bear a striking resemblance between instant noodles and luncheon meat in their findings.
In the case of an instant noodle sample found with the highest sodium content (4,350mg per pack), just one single pack of it is enough to exceed the WHO recommended daily intake limit for sodium (2,000mg).
For canned luncheon meat, 3 slices (around 100g) of a sample found with the highest sodium content (2,230mg per 100g) will also exceed such daily sodium limit.
In both cases, it poses a potential health risk that any further sodium present in other foods in your diet will add to your daily sodium load.
So, for the sake of health, the next time you combine instant noodles with luncheon meat, take a good look at their nutrition labels first.
This study also illustrated an example of nutrient comparative claim and reminds the consumers that "less sodium" is not equivalent to "low sodium".
Other highlights in this study include:
- 7 out of 10 samples of canned luncheon meat were high in sodium. According to the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA), a food is high in sodium if it contains more than 600mg sodium per 100g.
- The 7 samples concerned had sodium ranging from 696mg to a high 2,230mg per 100g, the latter representing 272% higher than the FSA guidelines.
- 4 out of 10 luncheon meat samples were high in total fat as it exceeds the FSA guidelines of not more than 20g total fat per 100g. The 4 samples had total fat from 20.2g to 29g per 100g.
- For canned sardine sample, 1 sample was deemed high in total fat with 35.4g which is 77% above the FSA guidelines.
- 2 other sardine samples were found slightly high in sodium at 612mg and 637mg per 100g of food respectively.
Consumers are advised that although sardines are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which are good to the hearts if consumed in moderate amount, the sauce and oil in the canned sardines contain a certain level of total fat, saturated fat and sodium. To reduce the fat and sodium intake, they can consider draining off the sauce and oil in the can before consumption.
Remember: keep a balanced diet that is low in sugar, salt and fat, and high in fibre; and always read the nutrition labels for a healthier choice.
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