Excessive Sodium Intake in Commercial Diet Catering Meal Plans in Poland: Implications for Diet Quality and Chronic...

Background/Objectives: Excessive sodium (primarily from sodium chloride, NaCl) intake remains one of the leading dietary risk factors associated with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic health conditions worldwide. Commercial diet catering services providing ready-to-eat daily meal plans have become increasingly popular and are often perceived as nutritionally balanced; however, analytical evidence regarding their actual salt content remains limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the NaCl content of daily food rations (DFRs) offered by commercial diet catering services in Poland. Methods: A total of 120 DFRs representing three dietary patterns (Hashimoto diet, DASH diet, and low-carbohydrate diet) were collected from 40 catering providers. Sodium chloride content was determined using the Mohr titration method. Sodium intake values were estimated by conversion from NaCl equivalents to allow comparison with dietary recommendations. Results: The median NaCl content across all analyzed diets was 14.19 g/day (Q1: 10.62 g; Q3: 17.49 g), corresponding to approximately 284% of the World Health Organization recommended maximum intake of 5 g/day of salt. Nearly half of the analyzed DFRs (45.83%) exceeded the recommended intake by more than threefold. Overall, 99.2% of the analyzed DFRs exceeded recommended NaCl intake levels, while 91.9% did not comply with the values declared by manufacturers. DFRs consisting of five meals contained higher NaCl levels than three-meal plans (p < 0.0196); however, this difference may be related to variation in total food mass rather than meal frequency, as the number of meals was confounded with diet type. Conclusions: These findings suggest that commercially prepared diet catering meals may represent a substantial source of dietary NaCl when used as a primary daily food source. Improved nutritional monitoring, clearer nutrient reporting, and quality control of commercially prepared dietary plans may support public health strategies aimed at reducing NaCl intake.