Concerns over fat levels in takeaway foods

26th June 2008, 11:35am

A single Indian takeaway can contain more saturated fat than a person should be eating in a day, said the Which? Good Food Guide.

Three types of takeaways were looked at – Indian, Chinese and pizza – and the nutritional values were compared to find out how a meal fits in with guideline daily amounts.

Research revealed that an average portion of an Indian takeaway contained 23.2g of saturated fat, 3.2g more than a woman should eat in a day.

In comparison, the Chinese takeaways had lower saturated fat content but contained nearly three times as much sugar. In one portion there was over 19 teaspoons.

Takeaways aren't legally required to give nutritional content of their food which makes it difficult for people to know if there are low-calorie or low-salt options available.

Some pizza chains such as Pizza Hut and Domino's do voluntarily give nutritional information on their websites, but figures also suggest that four Domino's cheese and tomato pizzas tested had at least 50% more fat per 100g than the website showed.

Neil Fowler, editor of Which?, commented on these results: "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!"

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