The body conducted an analysis of 218 children’s meals from 23 different restarants and claims more than a quarter of meals surveyed contained 2g or more of salt per meal - the maximum daily recommendated salt intake for a child aged between one and three.
It found three quarters conatained over one third of the maximum daily intake for children aged four to six years.
It highlighted Burger King Kid’s Veggie Bean Burger with Small Fries (4.6g salt per serving and 155% of 4-6 year olds maximum recommended intake) and Bella Italia Pizza Dog from the Piccolo Menu & Cheesy Garlic Bread (3.7g salt per serving and 124% of 4-6 year olds maximum recommended intake) as among the "worst offenders".
However it also claimed Pizza Express, Nando's and ASK served food with between 80%-155% of a child's recommended intake.
Out of the eateries tracked, just five of them (Jamie’s Italian, Subway, Bella Italia, EAT and JD Wetherspoon) have signed up to voluntary salt targets set by the Department of Health, which CASH said highlighted "a distinct lack of commitment to children’s health" from industry.
A high salt diet can set a child up for raised blood pressure and lead to cardiovascular disease later on in life and is also linked to a number of other serious health conditions such as stomach cancer, osteoporosis and kidney disease, CASH said.
CASH admitted the survey was taken from a small sample size but argued that it was representative of what a child would have eaten on that particular day.
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