‘Healthy’ popcorn and nuts face advert ban over hidden salt

Reaching for a bag of popcorn or a handful of nuts can seem like a relatively healthy option when you are feeling peckish.

However, a new report has warned that the savoury snacks contain such high levels of “hidden salt” that adverts for them will have to be banned under new anti-obesity legislation.

One in three bags of ready-to-eat popcorn contain more salt than a packet of cheese and onion crisps, according to the report by Action on Salt and Sugar, a research group. An analysis of 1,200 crisps, nuts and popcorn snacks sold in supermarkets found that the majority are so unhealthy they will be soon classed as junk food by the government.

• Overindulged? Why it’s harder to get back on track after a blowout

From October, there will be a pre-9pm television watershed on junk food adverts, as well as a blanket ban for online and social media ads. Food and drink adverts will be banned if they are classified as “less healthy” using a government scoring system based on salt, fat, sugar and protein content.

The Action on Salt and Sugar research team, based at Queen Mary University of London, analysed sugar and salt in nuts, crisps and ready-to-eat popcorn on supermarket shelves. They found that 77 per cent of crisps, 56 per cent of nuts and 88 per cent of popcorn would fall foul of healthy eating criteria.

The saltiest popcorn was Joe & Seph’s Sweet & Salty Popcorn, with 2.25g salt per 100g, higher than most crisps. As well as often being too salty, 42 per cent of popcorn would also receive a red warning label for sugar content. The worst offender was Morrisons Market Street Toffee Flavour Popcorn with 59.1g of sugar per 100g — more than 7 teaspoons per serving, far exceeding a child’s maximum daily limit.

While plain nuts are naturally low in salt, nearly one in four flavoured nut snacks exceed salt targets. Some were also coated in chocolate, meaning that a small serving contained several teaspoons of sugar.

• The snacks I will (and won’t) feed my kids, by Britain’s top nutritionist

Health experts said that food manufacturers must do more to comply with salt and sugar targets to help reduce rates of heart disease and obesity. Eating too much salt is the single biggest cause of high blood pressure, a condition that affects 1 in 3 adults and is known as the “silent killer”.

Sonia Pombo, head of impact and research at Action on Salt and Sugar, said: “It’s clear that voluntary efforts to improve food nutrition have largely fallen short. Yet this isn’t about feasibility as some companies have already shown that reformulation is possible.

“It’s about time the government get tough with companies and implement mandatory targets with strong enforcement. Without this, the UK’s hidden salt and sugar crisis will persist, putting consumers at risk and leaving responsible brands at a disadvantage in an uneven marketplace.”

Dr Pauline Swift, chair of Blood Pressure UK, said: “Excess salt, often hidden in everyday foods, raises blood pressure, which is the leading cause of strokes, heart and kidney disease … Without urgent action to cut both salt and sugar levels, we’re gambling with lives.”

• Maybe Meghan has a point with her popcorn and pasta recipes

Kate Howard, campaign co-ordinator for Recipe for Change, a campaign group, said: “The range of sugar and salt in the snacks surveyed here shows there’s plenty of scope to reduce these ingredients but … most are not incentivised to improve their ­products. The public doesn’t believe companies will produce healthier food without government regulation and they’re currently being proved right.”

March 17 2025, 8.15pm

Eleanor Hayward, Health Editor

March 16 2025, 12.01am

Tom Calver, Data Editor

March 18 2025, 12.01am

Eleanor Hayward, Health Editor

March 18 2025, 8.24pm

Seren Hughes

March 18 2025, 7.50pm

Greig Cameron, Scottish Business Editor

March 18 2025, 7.20pm

Mark Sellman, Technology Correspondent