A new report from safefood has indicated that many store-bought lunch wraps may not be as healthy as people think.
The report, “What’s in your Favourite Wraps?” found that some wraps could contain up to 1,000 calories with many also high in fat and salt.
The findings are the result of a survey which analysed almost 240 takeaway wraps from 80 outlets across the island of Ireland. It also found large differences in portion sizes, salt and fat content.
Of portion sizes surveyed, the biggest portions were almost two-and-a-half times that of the smallest portion size, while, of the Chicken Tikka and Salad wraps surveyed, total calories ranged between 267 calories and 977 calories with total fat ranging between 6g and 59g.
Dr Marian Faughnan, Chief Specialist in Nutrition at safefood commented on the report; “We know from research that 1 in 3 people believe wraps to be a healthier choice than a lunchtime sandwich but in reality, the average tortilla wrap on its own contains 149 calories, almost the same as two slices of bread which contains 158 calories.
"And with people busy and looking for a healthier lunch option, choosing a pre-prepared wrap is understandable. However, our report shows that eating a large chicken tikka wrap with a soft drink and a bag of crisps could mean almost 1,400 calories are eaten just at lunchtime alone.”
The safefood report also revealed that on average all three of the most popular wrap varieties surveyed contained high levels of salt ranging from 49% of an adults’ Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) in a Chicken and Salad wrap, 54% in a Chicken Tikka and Salad wrap, to 72% in a Chicken and Caesar Salad wrap.
The research report “What’s in your Favourite Wraps”, which is part of safefood’s Nutrition Takeout Series, is available to download from www.safefood.eu along with a practical infographic on popular bread varieties and portion sizes.
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Niall Swan
