What foods are highest in salt?

The biggest sources of hidden salt in the Australian diet are bread and bakery products, processed meats (ham, bacon, salami, sausages), cheese (especially processed and hard cheeses), sauces and condiments (soy sauce, tomato sauce, stock cubes, gravy), canned soups, ready meals and frozen dinners, takeaway food, chips and savoury snacks, and breakfast cereals. A single meat pie can contain over 1,000mg of sodium — half the daily recommended limit.

How do I read sodium on a food label?

Look at the sodium per 100g column on the nutrition panel. Low salt is less than 120mg per 100g. Moderate is 120-600mg per 100g. High salt is more than 600mg per 100g. The daily target is less than 2,000mg of sodium total. To convert sodium to salt, multiply by 2.5. So 400mg sodium per 100g equals 1g of salt per 100g.

Low Salt Foods — Best Swaps & High Sodium Foods to Avoid

How to read sodium on a food label

Look at the sodium per 100g column on the nutrition panel — this lets you compare products fairly.

Low

<120mg

per 100g

Moderate

120–600mg

per 100g

High

>600mg

per 100g

Quick rule: Always compare the same column (per 100g, not per serve — serve sizes vary). Choose the product with the lowest sodium per 100g. Even within the same product type, brands can differ by 10x.

Sodium in foods — searchable database

Food	Serve	Level	Sodium (mg)

Daily limit: 2,000mg sodium (WHO). High = >600mg/serve. Medium = 120–600mg. Low = <120mg. Values approximate — check product labels.

Easy low-salt swaps

Instead of: Soy sauce
→ Try: Tamari (reduced salt) or coconut aminos

Instead of: Stock cubes
→ Try: Salt-reduced stock or homemade

Instead of: Processed deli meats
→ Try: Fresh cooked chicken or beef

Instead of: Canned soup
→ Try: Homemade or salt-reduced brands

Instead of: Table salt for flavour
→ Try: Lemon juice, herbs, pepper, garlic

Instead of: Regular bread
→ Try: Low-salt bread (<400mg/100g sodium)

Sister tool

Checking a real packet? Try FoodLabelReader →

Scan or paste a label and get the sodium content decoded automatically — including hidden names like "sodium caseinate" and additive codes. Free, no install.