Salt. Essential to life, and in particular to chips but when it comes to ready meals, and especially those for children, enough is enough, says the Food Standards Agency which is probing into excessive amounts being added to children's' ready meals.

Some meals contain a whopping 60 per cent of the daily recommended salt intake for adults, according to the FSA.

Chairman Sir John Krebbs said: “It isn't acceptable for ready meals to be loaded with salt to be called healthy options. They are far from it, and mislead consumers.

“The FSA will check the food industry next year to see if levels have been reduced.”