1. ABOUT THE DATASET ------------ Title: Data supporting the article: Variability in sodium content of takeaway foods: implications for public health and nutrition policy Creator(s): Alexandra Irina Mavrochefalos, Harmon Kuni, Andrew Dodson, Gunter G. C. Kuhnle University of Reading Rights-holder(s): Alexandra Irina Mavrochefalos, Harmon Kuni, University of Reading Publication Year: 2025 Description: Sodium content of various takeaway foods collected in Reading in summer 2022. Sodium content was measured using ICP-MS Background to the dataset: Background: Excessive sodium intake is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, yet accurately assessing dietary sodium remains challenging due to food composition variability and inaccurate menu labeling. While menu labels are intended to guide consumers, discrepancies between reported and actual sodium content could undermine their effectiveness. Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of menu-declared sodium content in takeaway foods by comparing reported values with laboratory measurements. Design: A cross-sectional analysis of 39 takeaway food items from 23 outlets in Reading, UK. Sodium content was measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and compared to menu-declared values. Cite as: Mavrochefalos, Kuni, Dodson & Kuhnle (2025): Data supporting the article: Variability in sodium content of takeaway foods: implications for public health and nutrition policy. University of Reading. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.17864/1947.001409 Related publication: Mavrochefalos, Kuni, Dodson & Kuhnle (2025) Variability in Sodium Content of Takeaway Foods: Implications for Public Health and Nutrition Policy PLoS ONE (Submitted) Contact: g.g.kuhnle@reading.ac.uk 2. TERMS OF USE ------------ This dataset is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. 3. PROJECT AND FUNDING INFORMATION ------------ This dataset was not created in the course of a funded project. 4. CONTENTS ------------ File listing salt_kuhnle.csv - result data 5. METHODS ----------- Food Collection: All foods (n=3 per item) were purchased from food outlets in Reading, UK, during three consecutive weeks in summer 2022. Purchases were made anonymously to avoid potential bias in preparation. Upon receipt, samples were weighed, frozen at -20◦C, and freeze-dried. A total of 39 different foods from 23 different outlets were analysed. Laboratory Analysis Samples were analysed using Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) following AOAC Official Method 2011.14, a validated approach for precise sodium quantification in food matrices. To ensure accuracy, calibration was performed using sodium standards ranging from 500 to 5000 ppb