UK consumer groups have investigated claims about the health benefits of sea salt as compared to table salt and concluded that they are without merit. They say that the illusion of health benefits from expensive sea- and rock-salt contribute to the UK's dangerously high levels of salt consumption.
An online survey of 1,358 members of Which? found around one in three admitted thinking that rock and sea salts were healthier than table salt.
Which? chief policy adviser Sue Davies said: "Many of us are trying to reduce the amount of salt in our diet, but our research shows that people are needlessly spending more money on 'premium' salt as they often believe it's healthier than traditional table salt.
"Given that most of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, the cheapest – and healthiest – option would be to stop adding extra salt to food altogether.
"Which? is calling on food manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt in their foods, and we'll be monitoring their progress over the coming months."
I've sometimes eaten dishes that were improved by sea salt because the texture made for an interesting contrast with the food it was added to, but I can't taste any difference between it and ordinary table salt.
Sea salt health claims 'flawed'
(Image: Sea Salt, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from 53503060@N06's photostream)
