LONDON — Gail's smoked chicken Caesar club sandwich contains 6.88g of salt, exceeding the recommended adult daily limit of 6g in the United Kingdom, according to an analysis by Action on Salt & Sugar. The sandwich contains more salt than nearly five McDonald's cheeseburgers.

The analysis examined 546 sandwiches sold in the UK. More than one in 10 exceeded government salt targets, and 44% would require a red warning label for salt content.

The Gail's sandwich also contains over 1,000 calories and 90% of an adult's daily saturated fat intake. Other products identified in the analysis included Gail's smoked salmon bagel at 4.2g of salt, Paul's rosette cheese salami gherkin sandwich at 4.19g, and Pret A Manger's ham & grevé baguette at 3.85g.

Comparisons between similar products showed wide variation. A Pret A Manger chicken sandwich contained 2.22g of salt, while a similar chicken sandwich from Greggs contained 1.1g. Sainsbury's all-day breakfast sandwich contained 1.54g of salt, compared with 2.65g in the M&S equivalent.

Sonia Pombo of Action on Salt & Sugar said: "People choose sandwiches for their simplicity, convenience and affordability, but what they're actually eating can be a full day's worth of salt hidden between two slices of bread." She added that it was "frankly unacceptable that some companies continue to sell sandwiches that exceed an adult's daily limit in one go."

An estimated 11.5 billion sandwiches are eaten in the UK every year. Action on Salt & Sugar said salt was increasingly being overlooked as the focus had shifted to tackling obesity, and urged consumers to check salt content on packet labels before buying sandwiches. The organisation also said it was the government's responsibility to do more on salt reduction in food.

"Salt reduction is one of the quickest, cheapest and most effective ways to improve public health, yet progress has stalled," said Dr Pauline Swift, consultant nephrologist and chair of Action on Salt & Sugar. Dell Stanford, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, offered guidance for shoppers: "This analysis shouldn't put you off from enjoying a shop-bought sandwich occasionally, but there are ways to make your lunchtime staple healthier. Check the label and look for a sandwich with less salt and saturated fat, and ideally with lean protein and more fibre."