Salt content of some fast foods in Casablanca,Morocco: Pilot study

Introduction

High salt intake is associated with high blood pressure. This pilot study aimed to measure the salt content of some fast foods in Casablanca, Morocco.

Materials and methods

Thirty-eight fast foods were collected from different snacks and restaurants in Casablanca, between 1st March and 30th May 2014. Six types of fast foods were targeted: tuna sandwich (n = 8), merguez sandwich (n = 8), minced meat sandwich (n = 6), eggs sandwich (n = 6), shawarma (n = 6) and pizza (n = 4). The total weight of each fast food was recorded and then each sandwich was cut and mixed until homogeneous doughs using a mixer robot. The doughs obtained were immediately put in plastic food bags and frozen at ? 20 ?C until analysis. Analysis of the sodium content was carried out according to the Mohr method in an accredited public laboratory.

Results

The sodium content values were from 0.25 g/100 g (0.62 g of salt/100 g) in minced meat sandwiches to 0.44 g/100 g (1.1 g of salt/100 g) in pizzas. Salt content expressed per individual serving showed that the pizzas had the highest average amount (2.62 g/serving), while the minced meat sandwiches had the lowest average amount (1.42 g/serving). These values varied according to portion size.

Conclusion

This pilot study showed for the first time in Morocco that salt content of some fast foods is higher and consumption of only one serving of these fast foods can exceed half of the daily recommendation of salt (5 g/day).