5 'healthy' high street sandwiches that contain more calories than a McDonald's
Chains such as Pret a Manger, Marks and Spencer and Caffè Nero do not make clear the extent of how unhealthy their products are on packaging, says 'Which?'
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Your support makes all the difference.Some sandwiches and pasta salads from high street chains, often advertised as healthy options, can contain more fat, calories and sugar than burgers and pizzas.
Research by consumer group Which? found that some high street sandwiches from popular chains such as Marks & Spencer, Pret A Manger and Caffè Nero have a greater fat content than a McDonald’s or Burger King meal and that customers are being misled.
Caffè Nero’s Brie and Bacon Panini has more calories (624) than a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese (518 Calories). The bacon and brie make the Panini high in fat (24.1g), saturates (12g) and salt (3.2g), while caramelised onion add to the sugar content (15.8g).
Three of the sandwiches that Which? looked at contained more than three teaspoons of sugar with Pret’s Posh Cheddar and Pickle on Artisan containing 17.6g of sugar and nearly half the daily saturated fat limit.
The Chicken and Smokey Bacon salad on Soft Multigrain Farmhouse bread from Marks & Spencer contains 694 calories and 37.1g of fat, more than a Pizza Express Classic Margherita pizza (683 calories, 22.5g fat).
Asda’s Piri Piri chicken salad (290g) contains two thirds of the recommended daily fat intake (46.5g) and had more fat than a Burger King Bacon Whopper. The packaging recommends the pot contains three servings but it is likely that it would be consumed by one person.
Morrisons’ Tomato and Basil Chicken Pasta (330g) says that it contains seven servings but, again, it is likely that it would be consumed by one person for lunch and would contain more calories and fat (38.6g) than a Burger King Chicken Royale with Cheese (648 calories, 37.2g fat).
Which? said that its research proved that all food suppliers should adopt the traffic light food labelling system, which flags up levels of calories, fat, sugar and salt, to help customers quickly analyse the nutritional content of their lunch.
The system is voluntary and the majority of stores opt not to use it.
Executive director Richard Lloyd said: “People will be surprised to find some foods that many of us perceive to be a healthier choice are no better than a burger. We all want manufacturers to adopt traffic light nutrition labelling and restaurants to display information about calorie content of food, so consumers can see exactly what products contain.”
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