A steaming bowl of oden (關東煮) sold at convenience stores is a popular choice for those braving the cold weather, but the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) yesterday said that one bowl could contain more than half the amount of the recommended daily sodium intake and that overconsumption could harm the body.
Oden, which typically contains meatballs, fish paste balls, tofu and other ingredients boiled in a soy-based broth, is commonly sold at convenience stores and food carts. The cheap meal is especially popular in the winter because many people like to keep warm by drinking the hot broth that comes with the oden.
However, a bowl of oden that contains four types of ingredients, 300g of broth and one packet of sauce could contain as much as 1,500mg of sodium, which is 63 percent of the recommended daily sodium intake as set by the Department of Health.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
“Oden that contains many artificially processed foods typically contains more sodium than oden with non-processed ingredients,” commission section chief Wu Cheng-hsueh (吳政學) said.
The oden broth is also a source of high sodium. Drinking 300g of the soup could cause a person to inadvertently consume as much as 600mg of sodium.
Another convenience store snack that contains too much sodium is hot dogs, which could amount to as much as 600mg of sodium for the hot dog, buns and condiments, Wu said.
A packet of soy sauce contains 145mg of sodium while a packet of relish contains 98mg. Ketchup, oden sauce and sweet-and-spicy sauce contain 87mg, 80.9mg and 177mg of sodium respectively, the commission said.
The commission said that excessive consumption of sodium, which is usually caused by eating too much processed or artificially flavored foods, or adding too much salt or soy sauce to meals, could increase risk of high blood pressure and stroke. Overconsumption of sodium can also damage the liver and kidneys.
Wu said that convenience stores selling unpackaged heated foods such as oden and hot dogs are currently not required by law to label the foods with nutrition facts, so consumers are unaware of the amount of sodium they are consuming each time they purchase meals at the stores.
However, after meeting with the nation’s four major convenience store chains — 7-Eleven, Family Mart, OK Mart and Hi-Life — the commission has convinced the stores to agree to display nutrition facts for unpackaged heated foods in their stores.
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