High-fat curry warning issued
Thursday, 26 Jun 2008 09:58
Chinese and Indian takeaways could have high levels of fat and sugar
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People tucking into an Indian takeaway could be unknowingly eating more than their whole day's recommended level of saturated fat, according to Which?.
The consumer watchdog studied a number of Indian and Chinese takeaways for their levels of sugar, fat, saturated fat and salt.
Portion sizes studied were a 350g meat dish, 200g of rice and 100g of naan or spring rolls.
Men and women are advised to eat no more than 30g and 20g of saturated fat daily, but the study found that an average portion of an Indian takeaway contained 23.2g of saturated fat.
In comparison, the Chinese takeaways had lower saturated fat content but contained nearly three times as much sugar – in one of the portions studied there was over 19 teaspoons.
Takeaways are not legally required to give nutritional content of their food, making it difficult for people to know if there are low-calorie or low-salt options available.
Which? wants consumers to be given much clearer information about fat, sugar and salt levels in takeaway food.
Editor Neil Fowler, said: "We don't want to be killjoys when it comes to takeaways, everyone's entitled to enjoy a treat while they're watching the footy or a movie, but we would like people to be aware of just how much of their daily food intake comes in just one meal.
"A day's worth of fat or sugar shouldn't be ignored. Unlike at the supermarket, it's almost impossible to work out the nutritional content of a takeaway."