A&W Kid's Meals Have Highest Salt Content

The first national Salt Lick Award has been awarded to A&W for its Chubby Junior Kid's Meal. The award is given for the meal that has the highest sodium content. According to the CBC article the award was conceived by the Canadian Stroke Network, the Canadian Obesity Network and the Advanced Foods and Materials Network and coincides with World Salt Awareness Week which is an 18-country effort to raise awareness about the sodium content in food. Apparently, the Chubby Junior Kids' Meal which consist of, two Chubby chicken pieces and fries has 1,910 milligrams of sodium and this is 710 mg more than the recommended total daily intake for children aged four through eight. For children ages one through three years the recommended daily sodium intake 1,000 mg while for four to eight it is 1,200 mg and for nine and over it is 1,500 mg. "Parents should be concerned about the sodium in their children's diets," said Dr. Antoine Hakim of the Canadian Stroke Network in a statement. "Salty diets are raising children's blood pressure and taking them down a path towards stroke and heart disease in adulthood." Other companies mentioned are: * Boston Pizza's kid's bacon double cheeseburger quesadilla with fries, at 1,720 mg. * Swiss Chalet's grilled cheese sandwich from the children's menu with 1,120 mg. * Harvey's Hamburger Kids Meal, including drink, 1,485 mg. * Burger King's Original Whopper Junior Sandwich with cheese and root beer, 965 mg. * Wendy's junior cheeseburger deluxe, 690 mg and kids' meal fries, 270 mg. * McDonald's junior chicken sandwich, 760 mg and small fries 180 mg. The information that was used to determine the winners was gleaned from corporate websites.