The ground-breaking cheese, which will go on sale exclusively at more than 600 Tesco stores, will offer health conscious British shoppers a Cheddar with a 30 per cent reduction of salt.
Cheese, and especially Cheddar, is one of the most popular foods in Britain but it is also one of the biggest contributors of salt to the UK diet along with bacon and bread.
With more people than ever before watching their salt intake Tesco believes this new cheese will fill an important gap in the market.
Tesco cheese category buying manager David Chamberlain said: “Cheddar is the most consumed cheese in Britain with plenty of different varieties to suit a wide range of tastes – from mild to extra strong and even those that can reduce your cholesterol.
“There are also several different fat reduced Cheddars available but now shoppers across the UK will have easy access to a reduced salt variety for the first time.
“This cheese has been developed over several years by one of the UK’s top dairy producers and we believe it stands up well against regular mild Cheddars. We also think it will inspire other cheese makers to follow suit.
The cheese has been made for Tesco by award-winning dairy producers Joseph Heler of Nantwich, Cheshire who have become well known for their ground-breaking work within the reduced fat cheese market.
Small amounts of salt are essential for health, but Tesco and Heler’s were conscious that there are a number of people within the UK who are watching their salt intake yet still want to continue to enjoy every day foods.
Tesco nutritionist Karen Tonks added: “Reducing salt consumption is an important factor in helping to reduce early deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke.
“Cheese is a popular product both as a snack and as an ingredient and is a good source of calcium and protein but its salt content means that you have to keep an eye on the portion size.
“Now with a reduced salt cheese in the range it means it is easier to balance salt intakes – especially when combining with other foods that also contain salt – and with a great flavour the family won’t notice the difference.”
Heler’s Reduced Salt Mild Cheddar cost £1.88 per pack (£7.52 per kilo).
