Majority of Crisps, Nuts and Popcorn Failing 'Healthy' Test Ahead of UK’s Junk Food Ad Ban

• New report exposes excessive salt and sugars in popular snacks , and raises alarm ahead of October 2025 advertising restrictions.  

• Majority of products fail to meet government’s criteria for healthier food – with missed opportunity for brands who haven’t complied to salt and sugar reduction targets. 

• Nearly one in three ready-to-eat popcorn products are saltier than a packet of cheese & onion crisps. 

• Call for government to ‘get tough’ on food industry and set new stricter, mandatory salt and sugar reduction targets.  

Read the full report: Crisps, Nuts and Popcorn - Opportunities for Reformulation (March 2025) [PDF 6,452KB]

 

With less than eight months to go until the UK’s landmark advertising ban kicks in, a damning NEW report from Action on Salt and Sugar based at Queen Mary University of London¹ reveals that most savoury snacks on supermarket shelves fail to meet the government’s ‘healthier’ criteria² due in part to excessive salt and sugars.  

With the upcoming restrictions set to impact companies that fail to reformulate, Action on Salt and Sugar is urging companies to take responsibility and improve the nutritional profile of their products. 

In the analysis of over 1,200 crisps, nuts and popcorn snacks³, a staggering 77% of crisps, 56% of nuts, and 88% of popcorn would be scored ‘less healthy’ under the government’s guidelines – justifiably restricting some products from being advertised on TV and online before 9pm from October 2025⁴.  

Often regarded as a healthier snack, many ready-to-eat popcorn products contain excessive levels of salt and sugar. Shockingly, 27% of all ready-to-eat popcorn products exceed the government’s voluntary maximum salt targets⁵ – with over one in three saltier than a packet of cheese & onion crisps⁶. Meanwhile, 42% of popcorn surveyed would also receive a red warning label for total sugars⁷, with Morrisons Market Street Toffee Flavour Popcorn with a shocking 59.1g of sugar per 100g – equivalent to more than 7x teaspoons per serving, far exceeding a child’s maximum daily limit⁸.  

Some crisps also continue to provide excessive levels of salt in our diets, with one in three products requiring a high (red) salt warning label on the front of the pack. Among the worst offenders is Eat Real Lentil Chips Chilli & Lemon, which contains 3.6g of salt per 100g – a staggering amount that’s saltier than the concentration of seawater and exceeding the government’s salt target⁹.  

Meanwhile, plain nuts are naturally low in salt, but many flavoured varieties fail to meet healthier standards. Nearly one in four flavoured nuts exceed salt targets, with Forest Feast Slow Roasted Colossal Cashews containing 2.60g of salt per 100g – more than double the government’s salt target! Total sugar levels are just as concerning – Whitworths Shots Chocolate & Hazelnut packs an alarming 51g of total sugars per 100g¹⁰, meaning a small 25g serving contains over three teaspoons of sugars. 

Whilst many snacks are high in salt and sugars, notably the data presents a wide variation in nutrition content demonstrating that, in many cases, it is unnecessary and they can be made with less salt (Table 1) and sugars (Table 2).  

Table 1. Examples of snacks with higher and lower levels of salt

Table 2. Examples of snacks with higher and lower levels of total sugars

*Product does not have a suggested serve size. For comparison, identical portion size for the alternative example is given.

Despite clear evidence that salt reduction is both achievable and necessary¹³.  only eight companies have fully met the salt targets set for these snacks, with a further four achieving ≥95% compliance¹⁴.  Disappointingly, nine companies have failed to meet the targets in at least half their snacks portfolio, despite being given four years to succeed¹⁵.  Given the amount of salt that we eat increases our blood pressure, which is the major cause of strokes and heart disease, the group of experts warn that these companies must be held accountable for their role in the UK’s hidden salt crisis.

 

Sonia Pombo, Head of Impact and Research at Action on Salt, says: “It’s clear that voluntary efforts to improve food nutrition have largely fallen short. Yet this isn’t about feasibility as some companies have already shown that reformulation is possible. It's about time the government get tough with companies and implement mandatory targets with strong enforcement. Without this, the UK’s hidden salt and sugar crisis will persist, putting consumers at risk and leaving responsible brands at a disadvantage in an uneven marketplace.”

Dr Pauline Swift – Chair of Blood Pressure UK adds “Reducing salt isn’t just a health recommendation – it’s a lifesaving necessity. Excess salt, often hidden in everyday foods, raises blood pressure, which is the leading cause of strokes, heart and kidney disease – all of which is completely avoidable. Without urgent action to cut both salt and sugar levels, we’re gambling with lives. The government must step up with enforceable targets to protect public health."

Kate Howard, Campaign Coordinator for Recipe for Change, says “Food companies are continuing to harm our health with the products they put on their shelves. The range of sugar and salt in the snacks surveyed here shows there’s plenty of scope to reduce these ingredients but while some companies are doing better, most are not incentivised to improve their products. The public doesn’t believe companies will produce healthier food without government regulation, and they’re currently being proved right.”

John Maingay, Director of Policy and Influencing at British Heart Foundation, adds: “Eating too much sugar and salt isn’t good for our health, yet often we eat more than we realise because these ingredients are already in the food we buy in often-alarming quantities. This puts us at increased risk of heart and circulatory diseases like heart attack and stroke. Preventing ill health in the first place is essential to delivering on the Government's Health Mission. Now is the time for the Government to be brave and incentivise manufacturers to further reduce the amount of salt and sugar in their products, building on the success of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.”

 

Addendum:

The original press release included Boundless Sweet Chilli Nuts & Seeds Boost containing 3.24g of salt per 100g, as stated on product packaging. A spokesperson has since declared this to be a misprint: “The erroneous 3.24g/100g of salt comes from a misprint on packaging. Our Sweet Chilli Nuts & Seeds Boosts actually contain only 0.67g/100g of salt and this has been tested and certified as such - well below government targets. Our new packaging arrival will reflect this tested figure rather than an incorrect reading of 3.24g/100g currently on packaging.”

A spokesperson for Whithworths said "Whitworths SHOTS Chocolate & Hazelnut, contains just 2g of added sugar per portion, and 10.7g of naturally occurring sugar per portion from nutrient-rich dried fruit and nuts in a portion-controlled 25g sachet."

 

References 

[1] The research was conducted by Action on Salt and Sugar based at the Research and Action on Salt and Obesity Unit, within the Centre for Public Health and Policy at the Wolfson Institute for Population Health and partly funded by grants from Impact on Urban Health and British Heart Foundation as part of Recipe for Change. Recipe for Change is a coalition of 46 well-known health organisations (including Sustain, Food Foundation, Obesity Health Alliance, British Heart Foundation, Action on Salt and Sugar and Impact on Urban Health), calling on the Government to build on the success of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy and further regulation to make food healthier and raise additional revenues for investment in children’s health. 

[2] Department of Health and Social Care, Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM), January 2011. The NPM considers multiple nutritional elements of a product, including energy, saturated fat, sugars and salt content, and amount of fruit, vegetable and nuts, protein and fibre to create an overall assessment of nutrition quality. The NPM is used to help determine whether a product within certain food categories would ‘fail’ and be classified as less healthy and therefore not be allowed to advertise on TV during children’s viewing time.

[3] 1,221 snacks, including crisps (817), flavoured nuts (292) and popcorn (112) were included in the survey. Further details on methodology can be found in the report. All findings are based on per 100g, to make direct and fair comparisons across products. Industry engagement and comments can be found in the report.

[4] To limit the exposure of unhealthy food to children, companies will no longer be allowed to advertise their less healthy products before 9pm online and on tv from October 2025 (UK Regulations).This applies only to certain food categories. Nuts (except for chocolate coated) are exempt from the restrictions.

[5] Salt targets for over 80 categories of food, set by PHE in 2020 to be achieved by December 2024 

[6] Walkers cheese and onion crisps contains 1.2g/100g https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/walkers-cheese---onion-crisps-6x25g

[7] Government criteria for colour coding on a front of pack label.

[8] Morrisons Market Street Toffee Flavour Popcorn contains 29.6g sugars in a 50g portion.    

Maximum recommended limits for different age groups https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/how-does-sugar-in-our-diet-affect-our-health/ :

4-6 years - <19g/day

7-10 years - <24g/day

11+ years - <30g/day

[9] Atlantic seawater contains 1.07% sodium per kg seawater, which is equivalent to 2.67g salt per 100g

[10] For this survey, total sugars is reported as this is the only available information provided on product packaging. Some products, such as Whitworths Shots Chocolate & Hazelnut, contain sugars from raisins, but a portion of the sugars will also be from the added sugar in the chocolate and caramel coatings.

[11] Well & Truly have reformulated their Salt & Vinegar Crunchies snack, from 1.9g/100 to 0.7g/100g. Information on packaging in store may not align with this whilst they use up old stock 

[12] Salt values on pack for Joe & Seph’s Sweet and Salty Popcorn state 2.91g/100g salt, however upon engagement with the food company, additional analysis was made and confirmed via lab testing. The true salt value of is 2.25g/100g and will be amended in future packaging.

[13] Song J, Tan M, Wang C, Brown MK, Pombo-Rodrigues S, MacGregor GA, He FJ. Salt intake, blood pressure and cardiovascular disease mortality in England, 2003-2018. J Hypertens. 2023 Nov 1;41(11):1713-1720.

[14] This only includes companies with 5 or more savoury snacks in their portfolio. The 8 companies with full compliance to the salt target in this dataset are Tropical Sun, Insane Grain, Blanco Nino, UK Trading Places Ltd, Simply Roasted, Hippeas, Mister Free’d and Kellanova, with Tesco, Lidl, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s having ≥95% compliance

[15] This only includes companies with 5 or more savoury snacks in their portfolio. The 9 companies that have 50% or more of their portfolio failing to meet the salt targets (and % of their portfolio that are meeting targets) are Popz Europe (14%), Forest (33%), Well & Truly (33%*), Maize & Grace (40%), Wonderful (40%), Kohlico Brands UK (44%), Jacob’s (46%), Filberts Fine Foods Ltd (47%) and Cambrook Foods Ltd (50%).

*This information is accurate from time of data collection (November 2024). Well & Truly have since reported reductions in the salt content of their snacks, resulting in an improved nutritional profile and 88% of their products comply with the salt targets.