The Consumers’ Foundation said its latest survey showed that three-quarters of lunchboxes sold in convenience stores were found to contain excessive levels of sodium, higher than the average sodium level per meal suggested by the government’s dietary guidelines.
The foundation said according to the Health Promotion Administration’s dietary guidelines, adults should limit their daily sodium intake to no more than 2,400mg, or about 800mg per meal.
However, the foundation’s inspections of 20 types of lunchboxes sold at four major convenience store chains — 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life and OK — discovered that 15 of them contained sodium levels exceeding 800mg.
The other five lunchboxes lacked sodium information on their nutritional facts labels, all of which came from 7-Eleven convenience stores, it added.
A roast chicken drumstick rice lunchbox sold at Hi-Life was found to contain the highest sodium level in the survey — 3,080mg per serving, which is 128 percent the recommended maximum daily intake.
Five other lunchboxes also contained sodium levels exceeding 1,500mg, the foundation said, adding that if people often eat lunchboxes that are high in sodium they face increased risk of cardiovascular disease or kidney disease.
It said consuming foods high in sodium makes you thirsty and as most people’s kidneys are incapable of filtering out excess sodium, it could lead to fluid retention, increased blood volume and high blood pressure.
The foundation said although sodium can be partially discharged through urination and sweating, the best method is to reduce your daily sodium intake.
It urged consumers to pay attention to nutritional information on packaging and try to eat more fresh food, especially fruit and vegetables, while avoiding processed food products which usually have higher sodium levels.
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