Hong Kong people eat ham from time to time. The Consumer Council has tested 23 ham samples and found that 21 of them are high in sodium. Among them, 759 Ashin House ham slices with the highest sodium content contain 1,320 mg of sodium per 100 grams.
Calculated as an adult, eating a slice of 759 Ashin House Ham has already accounted for 26% of the daily intake limit recommended by the World Health Organization for adults.
As for the lowest sodium content, Tesco English Honey Baked Ham contains 500 mg of sodium per 100 grams.
In addition, the Consumer Council also tested 7 samples of turkey slices, all of which are high in sodium. The highest content is Buddig’s Oven Roasted Turkey, which contains 1,100 mg per 100 grams.
The lowest sodium content is True Story’s Organic Smoked Turkey Breast, which contains 648 mg per 100 grams.
The Consumer Council recommends that the consumption of processed meats such as ham and turkey slices should be reduced to avoid long-term intake of excessive sodium, which may increase the risk of hypertension.
In addition, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified processed meat as "carcinogenic to humans." The public should avoid excessive consumption of processed meat and eat more fruits and vegetables.
759 Ashin House Ham: 1,320 mg of sodium per 100 g (photo by Liang Huanmin)
The Consumer Council today (15th) released a new monthly issue of "CHOICE", which included tests on ham and turkey slices.
From August to September this year, the Consumer Council collected 23 types of ham and 7 types of turkey slice samples from supermarkets, department stores, food stores, etc., to test their safety and nutrient content, and to review packaging information.
According to the Consumer Council, ham and turkey slices are processed meats, which generally taste salty and strong, and generally have a high sodium content. According to the Center for Food Safety, if the sodium content exceeds 600 grams per 100 grams of solid food, they are classified as " High-sodium "food".
The test results showed that among 23 ham samples, 21 were "high sodium". The 759 Ashin House ham slices with the highest sodium content contained 1,320 mg of sodium per 100 grams.
If calculated as an adult, eating a slice of about 40 grams of 759 Ashin House ham slices has already taken in 528 mg of sodium, which is 26% of the upper limit of the daily intake recommended by the World Health Organization (ie 2,000 mg of sodium) for adults.
All of the turkey slice samples are high in sodium. The highest content is Buddig’s Oven Roasted Turkey, which contains 1,100 mg per 100 grams.
Calculated as an adult, consuming a pack of about 56 grams of Buddig Oven Roasted Turkey has consumed 616 mg of sodium, which is 31% of the upper limit of the daily intake recommended by the World Health Organization for adults.
Buddig Oven Roasted Turkey: 1,100 mg sodium per 100 g (photo by Liang Huanmin)
As for the sample with the least sodium content, the ham is Tesco English Honey Baked Ham, which contains 500 mg of sodium per 100 grams.
Another sample that is also not high in sodium is Nipponham's Less Salt Toast Ham, which contains 557 mg of sodium per 100 grams.
As for turkey slices, the lowest sodium is True Story’s Organic Smoked Turkey Breast, which contains 648 mg per 100 grams, but it is also a high-sodium product.
In terms of fat, the test results showed that none of the samples were high-fat, and there were 10 samples on the opposite side that were low-fat foods.
Calculated per 100g, the average total fat content of the ham sample is 4.4g and the turkey slice is 3.2g. Compared with the previous luncheon meat test (the average total fat content per 100g is 18g), there are two types. The average total fat content of the product is significantly lower.
In this test sample, the highest total fat content is Citysuper’s Salaisons Bentz French Smoked Cooked Ham with Rind Half Cut, which contains 13.3 grams of fat per 100 grams; the lowest sample is Hormel’s Natural Choice Oven Roasted Deli Turkey, which contains 100 grams contains 0.7 fat, which is 18 times the difference between the two.
In terms of safety testing, except for Ferrarini's Smoked Turkey Breast, nitrates were detected in the rest of the samples, with the detected amount ranging from 1.78ppm to 18.3ppm.
In addition, 23 samples were detected with nitrite, and the detected amount ranged from 0.423 ppm to 33.2 ppm.
The Consumer Council stated that the relevant content did not exceed the legal requirements of Hong Kong, and that ordinary people would not immediately affect their health under normal consumption.
In addition, Super Value brand ham slices and Xidejia sandwich ham slices were both detected with phthalic acid II, which is a plasticizer, and the detected amounts were 0.10 and 0.12 mg per kilogram respectively, which were lower than the safety action level of the Center for Food Safety (1.5 mg per kilogram).
According to the Consumer Council, ham and turkey slices are rich in white eggs. There is not much difference in nutrient content between the samples, but they are always processed meats. They are classified as "carcinogenic to humans" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The content is also relatively high.
This test shows that 90% of the relevant samples are high-sodium foods. Consumers should balance the risks and benefits of their consumption and should not consume them frequently.
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