{"id":1115,"date":"2025-05-19T10:27:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T10:27:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/?p=1115"},"modified":"2025-06-02T10:03:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T10:03:27","slug":"the-unhealthiest-supermarket-sandwiches-with-more-calories-than-a-big-mac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/19\/the-unhealthiest-supermarket-sandwiches-with-more-calories-than-a-big-mac\/","title":{"rendered":"The unhealthiest supermarket sandwiches with more calories than a Big Mac"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"Shot\t<\/div>
Many supermarket sandwiches have more fat than fast food burgers (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You might think you\u2019re being healthy by picking up a meal deal<\/a> over a McDonald’s<\/a> on your lunch break.<\/p>\n

However, a recent analysis has found some of the most popular sandwiches on the high street<\/a> contain more fat than fast food burgers<\/a>. <\/p>\n

In fact, many of them have more calories than a McDonald\u2019s cheeseburger or a bar of chocolate. <\/p>\n

The news comes after campaign group Action on Salt<\/a> analysed 1,511 ready meals<\/a> sold across 11 major retailers, including Tesco<\/a>, Aldi<\/a>, Lidl<\/a> and M&S.<\/p>\n

The research found that Iceland was the worst performing supermarket, with 84% of its ready meals considered to be high in salt, including the Taste of Italy vegetable lasagna, which has 3.9g per 400g.<\/p>\n

So if you’re looking for a more nutritious meal this lunch time, these are the sarnies you might want to avoid.<\/p>\n

Which high street sandwiches contain the most saturated fat?<\/h2>\n
\n
\n\t\t\"No.1\t<\/div>
The analysis found Waitrose Ploughman’s sandwich had more fat than a Big Mac (Picture: Waitrose)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Waitrose<\/a>\u2019s No.1 The Perfect Ploughman\u2019s Cornish Cheddar Sandwich was the worst offender. <\/p>\n

The supermarket sandwich contains 13.1g of saturated fat – more than two McDonald\u2019s cheeseburgers, which have just 5.4g each. <\/p>\n

M&S\u2019s Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese Ploughman was another high-fat option, packing 11.3g of saturated fat. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s more than a Big Mac, which contains 8.8g. <\/p>\n

According to the analysis by MailOnline, both sandwiches contain over half of the NHS\u2019s recommended daily saturated fat limit for women (20g) and nearly half of the limit for men (30g).<\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t\tWhich high street has the most calories?\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
\n

The analysis discovered Pret\u2019s Posh Cheddar & Pickle Baguette sandwich contained 643 calories, more than two McDonald\u2019s cheeseburgers (295 calories each) or an entire Big Mac (494 calories)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Which high street sandwiches contain the most sugar?<\/h2>\n
\n
\n\t\t\"Sainsburys\t<\/div>
Sainsbury’s Brie, Bacon & Chilli Chutney sandwich scored high for sugar content (Picture: Sainsbury’s)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it came to sugar content, the analysis discovered Sainsbury\u2019s Brie Bacon & Chilli Chutney Sandwich topped the charts, with 19.7g of sugar. <\/p>\n

To give this some context, you\u2019d need to wolf down two KitKat chocolate bars with 10.3g of sugar to beat the sandwich\u2019s sugar content. <\/p>\n

M&S\u2019s All Day Breakfast Sandwich – a popular sandwich option which costs \u00a34 – has nearly 10.1g of sugar. <\/p>\n

This is only slightly less than a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnut, which has 12g of sugar. <\/p>\n

The NHS recommends that adults only consume a maximum of 30g every day (about six teaspoons) to reduce the risk of weight gain and tooth decay. <\/p>\n

Which high street sandwiches contain the most salt?<\/h2>\n
\n
\n\t\t\"Farmhouse\t<\/div>
M&S Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese Ploughman’s contains more salt than two large McDonald’s fries (Picture: Marks and Spencer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The analysis discovered Pret\u2019s Ham & Greve Baguette contained a high amount of salt, compared to fast food picks. <\/p>\n

The baguette contained 3.85g of salt, making it saltier than four portions of large McDonald\u2019s fries (0.82g each). <\/p>\n

M&S\u2019s Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese contained 1.78g – more than two large McDonald\u2019s fries. <\/p>\n

To put this into perspective, the NHS advises adults to consume less than 6g of salt per day. <\/p>\n

Which high street sandwiches should you choose for a healthier lunch?<\/h2>\n
\n
\n\t\t\"A\t<\/div>
There are some healthier options too (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not all supermarket sandwiches are unhealthy.<\/p>\n

Tesco\u2019s Chicken Salad Sandwich, part of its \u00a33.60 Clubcard meal deal, boasts low fat and sugar content and contains a medium level of salt. <\/p>\n

The sandwich, which contains lemon and pepper mayo, contains 5.8g of fat, 4.5g of sugars and 0.99g of salt. <\/p>\n

Waitrose Roast Chicken Salad Sandwich also has a low fat (5.2g), sugar (4.4g) and a medium salt level (1.12g). <\/p>\n

Supermarkets also offer plenty of healthy alternatives, such as salads, protein pots and grain bowls, such as M&S\u2019s Roast Chicken & Egg Protein Pot or Waitrose’s Feta & Beetroot Salad Bowl. <\/p>\n

The contents of each meal, including fat, sugar, salt and total calories, are usually clearly listed on the front of the packaging. <\/p>\n

Metro has contacted Waitrose for comment. <\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t\tWhat excess fat, salt and sugar can do to your body \t\t\t<\/h2>\n
\n

Fat<\/strong><\/p>\n

Too much fat in your diet, especially saturated fats, can raise your cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease, the NHS website says. <\/p>\n

The UK government guidelines advise cutting down on all fats and replacing saturated fat with some unsaturated fats. <\/p>\n

The government recommends that men should not eat more than 30g of saturated fat a day, women no more than 20g, and children should have less. <\/p>\n

Sugar<\/strong><\/p>\n

The NHS warns that eating too much sugar can have effects on your health, including weight gain and tooth decay. <\/p>\n

The government recommends that free sugars (sugars added to food or drinks, and sugars found naturally in honey, syrups, unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices etc) should not make up more than 5% of the energy (calories) you get from food and drink each day. <\/p>\n

Salt<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke. The NHS says it’s easy to have too much salt, around three-quarters of the salt we eat comes from packaged and everyday foods we buy, such as bread, ready meals and cereals.<\/p>\n

Adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day (around 1 level teaspoon). This includes the salt that\u2019s already in our food, and the salt added during or after cooking. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many supermarket sandwiches have more fat than fast food burgers (Picture: Getty Images) You might think you\u2019re being healthy by picking up a meal deal over a McDonald’s on your lunch break. However, a recent analysis has found some of the most popular sandwiches on the high street contain more fat than fast food burgers.  […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1115"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1115"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1122,"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1115\/revisions\/1122"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharosstory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}