HALF of all UK pizzas still contain more salt than the recommended daily maximum following a "complete halt in progress" by the food industry, according to a survey.
Some 48 per cent of 1,267 pizzas tested for Cash (Consensus Action on Salt and Health) contained more than the recommended daily intake of 6g of salt, while five contained 16g - the equivalent of seven Big Macs.
Cash said it was disappointed with the findings, which follow a call to action in 2012 after a previous pizza survey and new salt reduction targets set by the Department of Health.
The previous survey found nearly three quarters (73 per cent) of all restaurant and takeaway pizzas contain more than 6g of salt.
Takeaway pizzas including Papa John's Stuffed Crust Sausage and Pepperoni and Domino's Hot Dog Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Passion pizza contain as much as 16g of salt per medium-sized pizza - the equivalent of nearly three teaspoons of salt.
Just one third (38 per cent) of pizzas targeted at children in restaurants met the children's salt target of 1.8g of salt per portion.
Cash nutritionist Sonia Pombo said: "Most of us aren't aware of how much salt we actually eat on a daily basis, and thus the danger we are putting ourselves in.
"With three-quarters of our salt intakes coming from processed foods such as pizza, how are any of us able to choose a healthier diet?
"We need the food industry to help us improve our diet, not to hide three times more salt than is recommended in a day in a single pizza."
Cash chairman Professor Graham MacGregor said: "Reducing salt intake around the world would save millions of lives each year.
"At the World Health Assembly in May 2013 it was unanimously agreed that all countries should reduce their daily salt intake by 30 per cent towards a target of up to 5g per day by 2025.
"Our survey has shown that many pizza manufacturers are still adding very large and completely unnecessary amounts of salt to their pizzas. This is completely unacceptable and our advice is to avoid eating pizzas from these manufacturers."
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