Salt is an essential part of our diet but only small amounts are required. Marmite spread contains salt, and this is something you should be aware of - particularly if you are following a restricted salt or low sodium diet.
We recommend sticking to the suggested serving size of 4g for adults and 2g for children. This is roughly the amount to cover the tip of a knife and provides 7% of the recommended guideline amount of salt for adults.
Marmite and children
The government recommends the following daily amounts of salt for children.
| Age | Daily Dietary salt target for the population* |
|---|---|
| 0 - 6 months | Less than 1g |
| 7 - 12 months | Less than 1g |
| 1 - 6 years | 2g |
| 7 - 14 years | 5g |
We recommend a 2g serving of Marmite for children. This is 10% of the suggested daily salt intake for a child aged 1-6 years and 4% of the suggested intake for a child aged 7-14 years.
Health professional advice about the weaning of infants of less than 12 months is to choose products marked as being low in salt as well as avoiding the addition of salt to foods. However, toast "soldiers" spread with a little Marmite are suggested as 'suitable snacks for young children, aged one year or more, along with fruit and vegetables, and dairy foods like yoghurt.' **
* These are considered to be achievable population goals but they are not the necessary or optimal amounts for individuals.
** MAFF/DOH/HEA. Healthy diets for infants and young children - A guide for health professionals, 1997
An independent Nutritionist said:
"For the school-aged child it can be difficult to find interesting, tasty and healthy ways of adding some zing to their sandwiches, but a touch of Marmite does just that! Marmite makes a fantastic spread option for school-aged children; it's low in both fat and sugar, and is also a good source of B vitamins which are needed to maintain a healthy metabolism, in particular it is rich in folic acid and vitamin B12. Although the salt content of Marmite rules it out for children under the age of one, as part of a healthy balanced diet it certainly needn't be a no-no for the school-aged child. A 4g portion of Marmite in a sandwich, alongside 40g of grated reduced-fat cheddar cheese, lettuce and cucumber, on two slices of wholemeal bread would be a fantastic start towards a nutritious lunch for a school-aged child, and contains around 1/5th of their recommended daily salt intake - certainly not an extravagant amount when set in the context of a healthy balanced diet over the course of an entire day. Providing school-aged children with food that is interesting, varied and healthy can be a challenge, and there is no doubt it is a balancing act but marmite offers a great low fat spread option which if used responsibly and sensibly in the context of a healthy balanced diet can supply a nutritious taste sensation."
Dr Jennie Cockroft BSc PhD RPHNutr
Director of Nutrition, Purely Nutrition Ltd.
