Some of the most popular family restaurants are serving children ’ s meals with dangerously high levels of salt , a survey has revealed . More than a quarter of meals sampled contained over an entire day ’ s salt allocation for a child under the age of four . Experts warned last night that chain restaurants ’ disregard for child health risks creating a generation addicted to salt , leading to raised blood pressure , heart attacks and strokes . Scroll down for video . Worst offender : Burger King Kid ’ s Veggie Bean Burger ( pictured ) with small fries contained 4.6g of salt per serving , the equivalent of nine packets of crisps . Consensus Action on Salt and Health ( Cash ) , a charity backed by leading doctors , carried out a spot check of 218 children ’ s meals at 23 popular chain restaurants . It found that 28 per cent of the meals surveyed contained more than 2g of salt , an entire day ’ s allowance for a child under four , and 7 per cent contained more than 3g , the allowance for a child under seven . The worst meals sampled contained as much salt as nine packets of crisps , the researchers discovered . Cash chairman Professor Graham MacGregor , a heart expert at Queen Mary University London , said : ‘ Evidence suggests dietary habits in childhood can influence eating patterns later in life . ‘ Salt should therefore not be given to children as this could lead to a “ salt addiction ” – a preference for salt throughout their lifetime . This will consequently raise their blood pressure which tracks into adulthood , leading to increased risk of developing strokes and heart attacks. ’ Cash nutritionist Sonia Pombo said : ‘ It ’ s a scandal that very few restaurants are taking salt reduction seriously , especially when the health of our children is at risk. ’ The meal with the most salt content was the Burger King Kid ’ s Veggie Bean Burger with small fries , which contained 4.6g of salt per serving , the equivalent of nine packets of crisps . Hungry Horse ’ s ham with mashed potato and baked beans contained 4.2g of salt per serving . And Loch Fyne Seafood and Grill bangers and mash with gravy contained 4g . Other meals in the top ten for salt came from Beefeater , Bella Italia , JD Wetherspoon and Nando ’ s . Restaurants included in the study insisted they had already reduced salt content in their meals . A Burger King spokesman said : ‘ Burger King Corp has successfully reduced the sodium content in many of its products around the world. ’ A spokesman for Greene King , the owner of Hungry Horse and Loch Fyne , said : ‘ We are committed to reducing the levels of salt within our supply chain and many products already used in our children ’ s menus are reduced salt , such as burgers , sausages and baked beans in Hungry Horse. ’ A Beefeater spokesman said : ‘ As a popular family friendly restaurant visited by thousands of people every week , we are constantly working hard to bring down the salt content of our meals and we take our responsibilities towards public health very seriously . Bella Italia said : ‘ Our menu is varied with plenty of options for children of all ages , tastes and requirements , and it features a great selection of vegetables , salad , pasta , fish and chicken. ’ Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said : ‘ Whilst certain popular meal combinations such as chicken nuggets , chips and baked beans have higher salt levels , we also include several lower salt combinations or meal. ’ Nando ’ s did not reply to a request for comment .
More than 25 % of meals contained entire day 's allocation for those under 4 . Burger King Kid ’ s Veggie Bean Burger and small fries contained 4.6g salt . Other offenders included meals from Nando , Beefeater and Hungry Horse 's . Experts warned restaurant chains are creating generation addicted to salt .