A portion of fish and chips with 1800 calories, almost a full adult daily recommended allowance, was discovered when Salford City Council tested takeaway portions in the city.

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Huge portion sizes, massive amounts of salt and nearly the entire recommended daily allowance of calories for adults were all found to be commonplace in the 30 takeaways tested.

The aim of testing the takeaways is to help residents to know what exactly they are eating, if people know what’s in their takeaway food they can make more informed choices about what they consume.

Of the 30 meals tested, one fish and chip shop served almost a kilogram of fish and chips as a standard portion which measured as 87 per cent of the recommended daily allowance of calories for an adult.

A donner kebab on naan bread from a kebab house was 1,804 calories and had 270 per cent of the recommended daily salt allowance and 142 per cent of the recommended daily fat allowance for an adult.

Melanie Sirotkin, Salford’s Director of Public Health said: “Takeaways are often cheap, convenient and satisfying but, unfortunately, they’re not always very healthy. Some takeaway meals can take people over their recommended daily maximum amount of salt and fat, which can lead to a variety of health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes. There are some simple changes people can make like sharing a meal, choosing a healthier alternative or eating takeaways as a treat rather than most nights of the week.”

The survey ties in with the Healthy Weight Strategy launched in 2009 where the council, NHS and other partners pledged to raise awareness of the importance of healthy weight and work together to create a supportive local environment.

This strategy covers everything from good infant feeding, high quality services and maximising potential to support families and people of all ages to maintain a healthy weight.

Salford City Council can also offer nutritional advice.

The survey results were carried out by Salford City Council’s Trading Standards.

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