FSANZ monitors the levels of sodium in the Australian food supply because it's the sodium from salt in the diet that's linked to major health problems.
We analysed sodium in monitoring programs in 2006 and 2008 and in 2009 in a range of packaged and take-away foods. In these surveys, the foods found to contain the highest levels of sodium per 100 g were: potato crisps, processed meat and meat products including sausages, meat pies, sausage rolls and chicken nuggets, cheese and pizza. Other high sodium foods include a range of sauces, spreads and condiments. These analysed values include sodium from salt, naturally occurring sodium and sodium from food additives.
The food industry has been reducing salt in various products to reduce sodium levels. Survey results show levels of sodium in some processed foods have declined in recent years. For example, sodium levels in margarine, savoury biscuits, soup and mayonnaise were lower compared to previous studies. Average sodium values for various foods tested in recent FSANZ programs are shown below. You can find more information on sodium levels in other foods in the Australian Food Composition Database.
| Food | Sodium | Serving size | Equivalent size | Sodium |
| (mg per 100 g) | (g) | (mg per serve) | ||
|
Breakfast cereal |
480 |
30 |
(1 small bowl) |
140 |
|
Butter |
780 |
7 |
(1 foil packet) |
55 |
|
Cheddar cheese |
685 |
20 |
(1 slice) |
140 |
|
Chicken breast* |
43 |
160 |
(1 cooked) |
70 |
|
Hamburger* (no cheese) |
440 |
200 |
(1 large) |
880 |
|
Milk (full fat) |
36 |
258 |
(1 cup) |
93 |
|
Pizza*, ham & pineapple |
630 |
130 |
(1/4 large pizza) |
820 |
|
Potato crisps (salt & vinegar flavour) |
970 |
45 |
(small packet) |
440 |
|
Potato crisps (other flavour) |
620 |
45 |
(small packet) |
280 |
|
White bread |
456 |
30 |
(1 slice) |
140 |
|
Yeast spread |
2,960 |
6 |
(1 tsp) |
180 |
*cooked
How can I reduce my sodium intake?
If you are concerned about your sodium intake you can check the Nutrition Information Panel on food labels for the total sodium concentration per 100 g of food and compare the labels of like foods to select those with low or reduced sodium amounts.
Some foods are labelled as 'low salt' foods. FSANZ defines a 'low salt' food as one with a sodium concentration of no more than 120 mg per 100 g. Other claims that help with choice of lower sodium foods include reduced salt/sodium, salt/sodium free, and no added salt/sodium. Reduced salt means the food must have a limited amount of sodium and have at least 25 per cent less salt/sodium than the comparative reference food. Sodium intake can also be reduced by adding less salt to food during and after cooking.