Food-chain soup 'has too much salt'

The study for Consensus Action on Salt and Health found 99 per cent of the soups contained more salt per portion than a packet of crisps and a quarter failed to meet the 2010 Food Standards Agency average voluntary targets.

Soups checked included those from high street chains Eat, Caffe Nero and Pret a Manger.

Eat's largest Bold Thai Green Chicken Curry contained 8.070g of salt per 32oz/907g portion. The daily maximum recommendation for an adult is 6g – or a fifth of an ounce.

Caffe Nero's standard size organic carrot and coriander soup contained 3.6g of salt.