Popular takeaway items from independent outlets—including doner kebabs, battered pizza, macaroni cheese, and millionaire’s shortbread—were analysed as part of the study. Key findings include:
- The average doner kebab contained 1,283 calories which is 64% of the recommended daily amount for an adult female and 50% more saturated fat than the recommended daily limit.
- The average portion of battered pizza delivered 1,327 calories - 66% of the daily recommended intake - and contained more than double the maximum recommended daily salt.
- The average slice of millionaire’s shortbread contained 34.1g of sugar, a significant contributor to excess sugar intake.
Regularly exceeding daily recommendations for calories, saturated fat and salt can lead to weight gain, high cholesterol and high blood pressure – all of which can increase the risk of developing health complications over time.
On average, a children's portion of cheeseburger and chips contained 982 calories, 20.9g of saturated fat, and 3.4g of salt—equating to nearly 58% of the recommended daily calorie intake for a 7–10-year-old, 98% of the maximum daily saturated fat and 68% of the recommended salt limit.
Laura Wilson, head of public health nutrition at FSS, said: “We need to rebalance the food environment towards food that is healthy, available, and affordable.
“We're not here to discourage anyone from enjoying a takeaway — we understand it's enjoyed by many and here to stay. But Government policy needs to be more ambitious in tackling the widening health inequalities and meet Scotland’s ambition to halve childhood obesity by 2030.”
FSS has successfully worked with food business operators on recipe and product reformulation to help improve food on offer in Scotland.