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Analysis shows that sandwiches available on the British high street and included in supermarket meal deals can have higher calorie counts than burgers and be sweeter than chocolate bars.
MailOnline discovered that many of the country’s popular midday meal options contained higher amounts of calories, saturated fats, sugars, and salts compared to those found in fast foods and desserts.
Pret 'Posh Cheddar & Pickle Baguette sandwich included 643 calories, exceeding the total of two McDonald's cheese burgers (each containing 295 calories) or one Big Mac which has 494 calories.
A lot of sandwiches from British supermarkets outperformed fast food burgers in terms of saturated fat content.
Waitrose 'No. 1 The Perfect Ploughman’s Cornish Cheddar Sandwich had one of the highest levels of saturated fat at 13.1 grams per serving.
This contains more fat than two McDonald's Cheeseburgers, each of which has 5.4 grams of saturated fat.
The M&S's Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese Ploughman's was also a high-fat choice, containing 11.3 grams of saturated fats, which is even higher than a Big Mac, which has 8.8 grams.
Each sandwich included more than half of the NHS-recommended maximum daily saturated fat allowance for women (20g) and almost half of that for men (30g) within a single serving.
When it comes to sugar content, Sainsbury's Brie Bacon & Chili Chutney Sandwich led the pack with 19.7 grams of sugar.
This is nearly the same as possessing two Kit Kat chocolate bars (10.3 grams each).
Another unexpectedly sweet choice was M&S's All Day Breakfast Sandwich.
This sandwich had 10.1 grams of sugar, which is just under the amount found in a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donut (12 grams).
In line with the recommendations from the NHS, adults should not exceed a daily intake of 30 grams of sugar.
Various British sandwiches available on the High Street were discovered to have significantly higher sodium content compared to many fast-food offerings.
The Ham & Grevé Baguette from Pret had 3.85g of salt, which is more salty than four big servings of McDonald's fries, each containing 0.82g of salt.
However, even some of the vegetarian choices had unexpectedly high sodium levels.
The M&S's Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese Ploughman included 1.78 grams of content, which was marginally higher than what you'd get from eating two big McDonald's french fries.
It is suggested that adults should consume a maximum of 6 grams of salt daily, with children needing to have an even lower amount.
Excessive sodium in your body can cause fluid buildup within the bloodstream, which increases your blood pressure.
This could consequently increase the likelihood of a potentially deadly heart attack or stroke.
Cardiovascular diseases and strokes are among the leading causes of death in Britain, claiming approximately 160,000 lives annually. In comparison, the mortality rate due to these conditions in America is roughly five times greater.
The NHS additionally cautions that consuming excessive amounts of fat, particularly saturated fats, can elevate your cholesterol levels, thereby increasing the likelihood of developing heart disease.
Consuming excessive amounts of sugar, despite being rich in energy, may lead to potentially detrimental weight gain. This increase in weight raises the likelihood of severe health problems such as heart disease, certain types of cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
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