Update:- On Sept 3rd 2011, the BBC announced results from a survey taken on 223 Takeaway meals featuring indian and chinese style foods.

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Takeaway dishes high in illegal colourings, says study

The meals can contain high levels of salt, fat and artificial colourings, the study suggests

Two of the nation’s favourite Indian and Chinese takeaway dishes can contain illegally high levels of certain colourings, a snapshot study suggests.

High levels of salt and saturated fat were also detected in chicken tikka masala and sweet and sour chicken meals at 223 takeaways in England and Wales.

And the Local Government Group study says that when nut-free chicken tikkas were ordered, 20% still contained nuts.

The Department of Health said labelling was key.

The analysis of 90 Indian takeaways was based on a portion of chicken tikka masala and pilau rice.

The Food Standards Agency has called for a voluntary ban on artificial colourings including sunset yellow (E110), allura red (E129), tartrazine (E102) and ponceau 4R (E124) because of their reported link to hyperactivity in some children.

When the sauces from 25 of the meals were tested for the colourings, five of the dishes were found to contain levels above the permitted maximum of 500mg/kg allowed under current food regulations.

The study also found that the Indian meals contained 116% of an individual’s daily recommended saturated fat intake and 92% of their salt intake.

A similar analysis of sweet and sour chicken and fried rice from 133 Chinese takeaways discovered that the dish contained 119% of the recommended daily salt intake and 16 teaspoons of sugar, 75% of the recommended daily limit.

Eating too much salt is linked to high blood pressure, which can also increase the risk of developing heart disease.

Recommended dietary salt levels vary with age. Adults are recommended to have no more than 6g of salt per day in their diet, while toddlers should have no more than 2g.

Analysis of 11 sauces of the sweet and sour chicken meals found one contained illegally high levels of the colourings.

Nut danger

When buying some of the chicken tikka masala meals, it was stressed that the customer had a nut allergy.

Despite this, one in five of these takeaways contained peanuts or almonds without any warnings being provided. Just a small amount of nuts can be fatal for someone with a severe allergy.

The Local Government Association said local authorities should work with “ethnic kitchens” to make sure false information was not provided when customers requested a meal which does not contain nuts.

On two occasions the meat found in sweet and sour chicken meals was actually turkey.

Pre-packaged meals sold in shops are required to carry details of artificial colourings.

A spokesman from the Department of Health said there are plans to give takeaway outlets guidelines on how to label their products.

“The government’s Responsibility Deal includes actions that can be taken by restaurants and takeaways, for example by providing calorie information for food and drink.

“Whilst this work has to date focused on larger, chain restaurants, guidance for smaller businesses will be produced in due course. This will help maximise the opportunities for people to see, and use, calorie labelling.”

Councillor Paul Bettison, chairman of the Local Government Regulation Board which carried out the study of takeaway meals, said that the high levels of fat, salt and sugar in them were “truly shocking and unnecessary”.

“There’s no excuse for illegal amounts of colouring and as for secretly using a cheaper type of meat, that’s just shamefully ripping off customers. And including nuts when you’ve been told a person suffers from a nut allergy is unforgivable, it could potentially kill them.

“There are many ways to make takeaways more healthy such as using lower fat oils, natural colourings and reducing salt. These needn’t compromise taste and promoting such a healthy approach often attracts customers who’re keen to watch their waistline or their blood pressure.”

Information from BBC 25-6-08

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High fat level found in takeaways

High fat levels were found in curry Campaigners have called for better labels on takeaway food after revealing massive levels of fat, salt and sugar in some of the UK’s favourite dishes. Which? magazine revealed that a woman eating a portion of curry could be consuming more than a whole day’s recommended saturated fat intake. One firm included incorrect nutritional information, claimed the testers. The Food Standards Agency plans to work with restaurants and takeaways to reduce fat and salt levels. Unlike at the supermarket, it’s almost impossible to work out the nutritional content of a takeaway Neil Fowler, Which? Most people realise that fast food is not the healthiest option, but the extent of this is not always clear. Takeaways are not legally obliged to give the nutritional content of their food. Which? tested Indian and Chinese foods, and pizza from independent takeaways and franchises.   They found that Indian foods were generally high in fat and Chinese food could be high in sugar – one portion contained the equivalent of 19 teaspoons. The average calorie content of these takeaways was high – 1,338 for Indian food and 1,436 for a similar-sized Chinese takeaway. There were 23.6g of saturated fat in the Indian meal – the daily recommended intake is 20g for women and 30g for men. Pizzas could be a healthier option, with half of a medium pizza weighing in at between 836 and 929 calories. Fat was again high, with a thin crust pepperoni pizza containing 22.5g of saturated fats. Neil Fowler, the editor of Which?, said: “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. Ultimately we want consumers to have much clearer information about fat, sugar and salt levels.” Labelling problem He said that Domino’s Pizza and Pizza Hut were unusual in that they did try to offer nutritional information – but Which? found that the Domino’s information was incorrect. Four cheese and tomato pizzas tested were supposed to contain a total of 100g of fats, both saturated and unsaturated, but actually had more than 150g on average. A spokesman for Domino’s said that it was concerned about the finding. “We regularly monitor pizza-making in all of our stores and we are very surprised to see variances of the size that Which? has reported. “We are currently conducting a thorough review to ensure that our customers have accurate nutritional data.” The Food Standards Agency has worked with supermarkets to improve the nutritional labelling of its food, and a spokesman said the next step was big catering firms, then High Street restaurants. A spokesman said: “We need to find an approach to suit what is a very diverse sector and which will provide their customers with a simple and effective way for them to understand what is in their food, and which are the healthier options.” TAKEAWAY CONTENT   Based on ‘standard’ portions sampled by Which? Indian Chinese Pizza (thick crust) Pizza (thin crust) GDA (men) GDA (women) Calories (kcal) 1,338 1,436 836 929 2,500 2,000 Sugar (g) 23.8 62.3 8.5 8.2 120 90 Total fat (g) 55.5 60.4 31.5 48.3 95 70 Saturated fat (g) 23.2 9.3 15.5 22.5 30 20 Salt (g) 3.6 4.7 3.3 4.4 6 6 Source: Which? Takeaway portions: 350g meat dish; 200g rice; 100g naan or spring rolls Thick-crust pizza: 300g cheese and tomato; Thin-crust: 300g pepperoni