Britain is getting fatter, and our devotion to processed foods is a big part of the problem, even though we are becoming better at reading the packet. However, a new book has taken the hard work out of food shopping. The Good Nutrition Guide has tested hundreds of supermarket products and carefully compared their nutritional credentials. They have also analysed items that flag up their 'low-fat' and 'low-sugar' content and highlighted the problem of 'hidden' salt in our food. We have taken some of the most commonly bought store-cupboard items from the book and have started with a table of the recommended daily amounts for optimum health, and a table of amounts you shouldn't exceed on a daily basis. Where possible we've also included the guide's 'worst' and 'best' choices, which they worked out using each product's overall nutritional score.
Daily requirements
Men
energy 2,500 kcal
fat 95g
saturated fat 30g
protein 56g
carbohydrate 313g
(of which sugar) 34g
sodium 2.5g
salt 7.0g
fibre 18g
Women
energy 2,000 kcal
fat70g
saturated fat 20g
protein 45g
carbohydrate 250g
(of which sugar) 28g
sodium 2.5g
salt 5.0g
fibre 18g
For the four categories that are worst for health, the Food Standards Agency says we shouldn't exceed the following amounts per 100g:
fat 20g or more per 100g
saturated fat 5g or more per 100g
carbohydrates (of which sugars) 10g or more per 100g
sodium 0.5g or more per 100g
Best and worst breakfast cereal
Some cereals contain as much sugar as a chocolate bar and as much saturated fat as a portion of cake. One of the most heavily criticised innovations is the biscuit straw, advertised by its two main manufacturers, Kellogg's and Nestlé, as a way of encouraging children to drink milk. The straws, made from a wheat biscuit coated in chocolate, have been described in terms of their sugar content as the equivalent of a KitKat. Some dried-fruit mueslis are sweetened twice, once in the oats and a second time in the preserved fruits. Others, especially plain-bran cereals, can contain high levels of salt. As expected, the majority of the cereals surveyed contain unacceptable levels of sugar, with Kellogg's Frosties and Coco Pops leading the table at 37g and 36g per 100g respectively. By comparison, 100g of Green & Black's 70% dark chocolate contains 29.4g of sugar. Unlike chocolate, however, both of these products are relatively low in fat. The product containing the most fat is Jordans Original Crunchy Tropical Fruits, with 14.5g per 100g and the highest saturated fat. It does, however, contain just a trace of salt. Kellogg's Corn Flakes and Nestlé Curiously Cinnamon, on the other hand, have 1.8g of salt per 100g.
Lowest salt: Nestlé Shredded Wheat, Quaker Oats; Ready Brek; Sugar Puffs
Highest salt: Kellogg's Corn Flakes; Nestlé Curiously Cinnamon; Kellogg's Rice Krispies
Highest sugar: Kellogg's Coco Pops; Kellogg's Frosties
Lowest sugar: Nestlé Shredded Wheat
Highest fat (and saturated fat): Jordans Original Crunchy fruits
Best overall choice: Nestlé Shredded Wheat
Worst overall choice: Nestlé Curiously Cinnamon
Baked beans and tinned spaghetti
Beans, beans, good for the heart ... but not if they're smothered in salty, sugary sauce. Some brands, particularly La Doria and WeightWatchers spaghetti in tomato sauce, contain over 2g of salt in an average serving of 200g (half a standard can). Whole Earth organic baked beans come out best with only 0.1g of salt per 100g.
Highest sugar: Heinz Curry Beanz
Lowest salt: Whole Earth Organic Baked Beans
Highest salt: La Doria Baked Beans
Best overall choice: Whole Earth Organic Baked Beans
Worst overall choice: Branston Baked Beans with Sausages
Bedtime drinks
The low-sugar content of reduced-calorie beverages may appeal, but may contain high levels of saturated fat. Some low-calorie drinks add extra salt to boost their flavour, so even a sweet drink such as hot chocolate can take you over the recommended daily limit. For sweet products, some of the bedtime drinks surveyed contain an astonishing amount of salt: as much as 4g per 100g in the case of one. Even though this works out at a relatively small 0.4g salt per serving, it illustrates how pervasive the use of this hidden ingredient is in non-savoury foods. There is a similar discrepancy in the amount of saturated fat in these products, with the low-sodium Chocolat Charbonnel et Walker topping the list at 23.7g of saturated fat per 100g. By contrast, Clipper Organic Instant Hot Chocolate has only 1.2g. However, the Clipper product contains more fat overall, with 20g compared to 9.7g for Ovaltine Belgian Chocolate and Green & Black's 9.3g.
Lowest sugar: Caley's ChocLo
Highest sugar: Clipper Organic
Lowest saturated fat: Ovaltine Original
Lowest salt: Green & Black's Organic Hot Chocolate drink
Highest salt: Cadbury Highlights Chocolate
Highest fat: Chocolat Charbonnel et Walker
Best choice: Ovaltine Original
Worst choice: Cadbury Highlights Chocolate; Nestlé Aero Instant Bubbly Hot Chocolate Drink; Twinings Options Belgian Choc
Biscuits
Is there really such a thing as a healthy biscuit? The Good Nutrition Guide compared the credentials of some of the big names in the biscuit world, and discovered a huge variation in the amounts of salt, sugar and fat lurking in the average pack. Often customers who chose the 'healthy' option were actually eating more calories than the ones who stuck with the standard version. The figures for salt are slightly better, although Fox's Butter Crinkle Crunch boast a relatively high 1.3g per 100g. Salt is also prominent in the McVitie's range, with Digestives, HobNobs and Rich Tea biscuits all containing at least 1g of salt per 100g.
Lowest sugar: McVitie's Original Digestives
Highest sugar: McVitie's Jaffa Cakes
Lowest saturated fat: WeightWatchers Oat Crunch
Highest fat: Cadbury Milk Chocolate Biscuit Collection
Lowest fat: McVitie's Jaffa Cakes (above)
Lowest salt: Baiocchi hazelnut and cocoa filling
Highest salt: Fox's Butter Crinkle Crunch; McVitie's Milk Chocolate Digestives and Original Digestives
Best choice: McVitie's Jaffa Cakes
Bread
Shop-bought breads often have a high salt content, and two rounds of sandwiches made from saltier loaves could amount to almost half the recommended daily intake of sodium. Most of the breads surveyed contain very little fat or saturates; the high-fat content of Allinson Sunflower Maltigrain and Burgen Soya & Linseed, for example, is due to their added seeds.
Highest sugar: Burgen Soya & Linseed
Lowest sugar: Kingsmill Soft White Rolls; Hovis Invisible Crust White; Hovis Supreme White
Highest salt: Hovis Farmhouse White; Kingsmill Soft White Rolls
Lowest fat: Nimble malted wholegrain
Highest fat: Burgen Soya & Linseed; Warburtons Seeded Batch
Worst choice: Burgen Soya & Linseed; Country Miller organic white rolls; Warburtons seeded batch
Cereal bars
Cereal bars seem ideal for those who skip breakfast, but contain, on average, more sugar than breakfast cereals. Three cereal bars (Cadbury Raisin Brunch Bar, Traidcraft Geobar Apricot & Raisin and Weetabix Weetos bars) contain more than 40g of sugar per 100g, compared with none of the cereals surveyed. The Cadbury Raisin Brunch Bar and Harvest Chewee Milk Choc Chip Cereal Bar all contain over 5g of saturated fat, but the Mars Tracker Chocolate Chip bar beats them all at 12g.
Lowest sugar: Quaker Oat Bar
Highest sugar: Cadbury Raisin Brunch Bar; Traidcraft Geobar Apricot & Raisin
Lowest saturated fat: Ryvita Apple & Sultana Goodness bars
Highest saturated fat: Mars Tracker Chocolate Chip Bars
Lowest salt: Jordans Wild berries Frusli bars; Ryvita Apple & Sultana Goodness bars
Highest fibre: Ryvita Apple & Sultana Goodness bars
Best choice: Ryvita apple & sultana Goodness bars
Worst choice: Mars Tracker Chocolate Chip Bar
Over nine billion packets of crisps and nuts, or the equivalent of 150 bags per person, are eaten every year in the UK. A standard 35g bag of crisps contains two-and-a-half teaspoons of oil. According to British Heart Foundation research, one in five children aged eight to 15 eats two packets of crisps per day, meaning that they could be consuming over nine litres of cooking oil a year. Thicker-cut crisps - including more upmarket lines such as Kettle chips - may contain lower levels of oil than the thinnest varieties. Look for crisps made with unpeeled potatoes, as these will have a higher fibre content.
Highest salt: Walkers Sensations Oven-Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Thyme
Highest sugar: Golden Wonder Wotsits
Lowest sugar: Hula Hoops
Lowest fat: Jacob's Twiglets
Highest fat: Pringles original
Best choice: Kettle Chips Lightly Salted
Jams and spreads
To be labelled as a 'jam', a product must contain at least 35g of fruit pulp or purée per 100g. 'Extra jam' must be made up of over 45g of fruit per 100g. A 'jelly' will be made from fruit juice rather than fruit purée - 'extra jelly' will contain more juice or extract than regular jelly. Marmalades can contain a combination of fruit juice, pulp and peel, provided that the overall fruit content is over 20g per 100g. With other spreads the issue is what kind of fat appears in the product. Chocolate spreads and similar products are often high in unhealthy saturated fat, but low in monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. The nuts in peanut butter are a rich source of monounsaturated fat, which is one of the 'good fats'. While all of these fats - even the healthy ones - should be consumed in moderation, peanut butter is a good alternative to sugary jams and spreads. Many 'pure' and organic products are made without any added oils or salt, which makes them a better option. For more variety, try cashew and almond butters or tahini, which is made from sesame seeds. Many of the most popular jams and spreads do not display all eight nutrition figures, which makes it difficult to work out how much sugar, saturated fat and salt they contain.
Lowest sugar: Marmite
Lowest saturated fat: Robertson's Golden Shred Orange Marmalade; Marmite
Lowest salt: Robertson's Golden Shred Orange Marmalade
Highest salt: Marmite
Best choice: Robertson's Classic Raspberry Jam
Pasta sauces
Supermarket pasta sauces are often high in 'hidden' salt and can be unexpectedly high in fat too. Our survey displays a clear distinction between sauces based on tomatoes, those based on cream and those that use pesto-style oils in terms of fat content - there could be as much as 10g extra fat in the latter ones. Most of the sauces contain a moderate amount of salt within a small range of 0.9 to 1.2g. There is a similarly limited range in the carbohydrates figures, which all fall between 6.8 and 9.2g per 100g. Not so for sugar: here, the products show considerable differences, with Loyd Grossman carbonara on a low 0.6g per 100g while Dolmio Original and others contain over 6g. If you regularly use pasta sauces, try to pick a tomato-based one, or a passata, as a healthier option.
Lowest sugar: Loyd Grossman Carbonara
Lowest saturated fat: Dolmio Original Light
Lowest salt: Loyd Grossman Puttanesca; Loyd Grossman Carbonara; Bertolli tomato & basil
Best choice: Dolmio Original Light
Pizza
For all of the pizzas tested, chilled and frozen, the salt content falls between 1g and 1.5g per 100g, which could work out at as much as 6g per whole pizza. It appears that there is very little difference between the frozen and chilled products surveyed, both have similar ratings for all of the major nutrients.
Lowest sugar: Goodfella's Loaded Cheese (frozen)
Lowest saturated fat: Pizza Express La Reine
Lowest salt: Goodfella's Loaded Cheese (frozen); The Pizza Company Thin and Crispy Cheese and Tomato
Highest saturated fat: Chicago Town Deep-dish Pepperoni (frozen)
Lowest calorie: Pizza Express Sloppy Giuseppe
Best choice: Pizza Express American; Pizza Express American Hot; Pizza Express La Reine; Pizza Express Margherita; Pizza Express Sloppy Giuseppe
There is a fine line between 'luxury' and 'indulgent': most of the extra cost of a pricier quiche may go towards augmenting it with rich cheese and cream, which will vastly increase its fat content. While it would be reasonable to assume that quiches - as a savoury food - are relatively low in sugar, many contain added sugar such as glucose syrup and dextrose.
Lowest saturated fat: Morrisons Eat Smart Reduced-Fat Quiche Lorraine
Highest saturated fat: Asda Extra Special Wensleydale & Tomato
Lowest salt: Asda Good For You! Cheese & Onion; Asda Spinach & Ricotta; Morrisons Eat Smart Reduced-fat Cheese & Onion
Highest protein: Asda Good For You! Cheese & Onion
Best choice: Asda Good For You! Cheese & Onion; Morrisons Eat Smart Reduced-fat Cheese & Onion
Worst choice: Asda Extra Special Wensleydale & Tomato; Morrisons Cheese & Onion; Tesco Cheese & Bacon
Soup
Although many types of processed soup are criticised for their salt levels, dried soups are by far the worst. These powdered products typically contain potato starches and flavourings, as well as salt and sweeteners. The percentage of dried vegetables or other prominent ingredients is very low, and they tend to contain smaller amounts of protein and fibre than the canned equivalent. In comparison, fresh or refrigerated soups are less likely to have been made with vegetable oil, and usually contain a higher proportion of meat or vegetables than both canned and packet products. The salt figures are also moderate across the board.
Lowest sugar: Loyd Grossman Chicken & Vegetable
Lowest saturated fat: WeightWatchers (all brands); Heinz Lentil; Baxters Healthy Choice Chunky Country Vegetable; Baxters Healthy Choice Tomato & Brown Lentil; Baxters Healthy Choice Lentil & Vegetable; Baxters Healthy Choice Italian Bean and Pasta
Lowest salt: New Covent Garden Asparagus
Yoghurt
There is a crucial distinction between strawberry 'flavour' yoghurt and strawberry 'flavoured' yoghurt: only one of the products will have been anywhere near fresh fruit. By law, a 'flavoured' product must be made with actual fruit, while one that contains fruit 'flavour' will get its taste from additives - and no fruit in sight. Every product in this category has a low rating for salt. Less positive, perhaps, are the figures for sugar, which suggest that many of the products may contain added sugar beyond the sugar found naturally in milk.
Lowest sugar: Woodlands Organic Sheep's Milk Live
Highest sugar: Onken Wholegrain Biopot (Peach)
Lowest saturated fat: Onken Natural Biopot; Shape (Mango)
Highest saturated fat: Rachel's Organic Greek-style (plain)
Lowest salt: Onken Wholegrain Biopot (Peach)
Best choice: Shape (Mango); Little Stars (Blackcurrant); Müller Vitality (Blueberry); Onken Natural Biopot; Rachel's Organic Luscious Low-Fat (Rhubarb)
Worst choice: Müller Fruit Corner (Raspberry); Nestlé Fromage Frais Dessert; Rachel's Organic Greek-style Plain); Yeo Valley Organic Live Yoghurt
Cakes
Inevitable high scores all round for fat and sugar with a range of over 30g per 70g serving between the highest and lowest sugar content. WeightWatchers cakes are by far the healthiest option.
Lowest saturated fat: WeightWatchers Chocolate Brownies
Lowest salt: Mr Kipling Bramley Apple Pies; Mr Kipling Cherry Bakewells
Best choice: WeightWatchers Chocolate Brownies
Worst choice: Fabulous Bakin' Boys Chocolate Flavoured Cupcakes; McVitie's HobNob Flapjacks
Butter and margarine
The main concerns in butter and margarine are fats and hidden salt. Country Life unsalted tops the chart for the lowest salt content, but has by far the largest amount of saturated fat.
Highest sugar: Lurpak Spreadable Slightly Salted; Bertolli Spread
Lowest saturated fat: St Ivel Gold Extra-Light
Lowest salt: Country Life Unsalted
Best choice: Country Life Unsalted
Worst choice: I Can't Believe It's Not Butter; Stork; Stork Spreadable
· The Good Nutrition Guide costs £8.99. Order your copy online at www.ethical-company-organisation.org/special-offer.htm or get a free copy of the guide when you buy The Good Shopping Guide 2008 (£14.95)
