Worcestershire sauce: nobody has studied it, so this page is about salt

Nobody has studied Worcestershire sauce, and searching the literature under its name returns nothing at all. What the label says still matters. In USDA branded food data, 57 of 88 Worcestershire sauces list anchovies or fish, and fish is one of the nine major food allergens that US labels must name. The FDA warns that an allergic reaction can start mild and become life-threatening in a short time. The other 31 list no fish, so it is the ingredient list, not the name on the bottle, that tells you which kind you hold. Ten of the 88 list malt vinegar, malted barley or a soy sauce made with wheat, all from grains US rules class as gluten-containing, and only a gluten-free label promises a food stays below 20 ppm gluten. Past the label, what a tablespoon actually delivers is sodium. USDA puts the sauce at 1300 mg of sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), and the United States survey tablespoon weighs 16 g, so one tablespoon carries about 208 mg. That is 9 percent of the 2300 mg Daily Value, and close to a tenth of the 2 g a day the World Health Organization sets as the adult ceiling. The 208 mg is arithmetic from the per 3.5 oz (100 g) figure rather than a weighed portion, and the USDA entry is a single legacy record standing in for every brand on the shelf, with no sample range behind it. Sodium itself is among the best studied things in nutrition. Eighty-five randomized trials covered intakes from 0.4 to 7.6 g a day, with follow-up running from 4 weeks to 36 months. Across them blood pressure falls in an approximately linear way as sodium intake falls, with no flattening at either the lowest or the highest end of the range.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• In USDA branded food data, 57 of 88 Worcestershire sauces list anchovies or fish among their ingredients, so most of these products contain fish. The other 31 list none, and 35 list soy. — US and other retail Worcestershire sauces in USDA FoodData Central Branded Foods, 88 unique products from 56 brand owners, labels published 2019 to 2023 (n = 88 branded products) Evidence E source
  57 of 88 ingredient lists name anchovy or fish; 31 do not; 35 name soy, 25 of them together with anchovy
• In the same USDA branded data, 10 of 88 Worcestershire sauces list malt vinegar, malted barley or a soy sauce made with wheat, all derived from grains that US labeling rules class as gluten-containing. — the same 88 Worcestershire sauces in USDA FoodData Central Branded Foods (n = 88 branded products) Evidence E source
  10 of 88 ingredient lists name malt vinegar, malted barley or a soy sauce brewed with wheat
• The US and UK composition tables disagree on the iron in Worcestershire sauce, 5.3 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 10.1 mg, while their sodium figures are close at 1300 and 1500 mg. — two national reference tables for the same named product, no samples reported Evidence E source
  Iron 5.3 mg versus 10.1 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g), a 48 percent gap; sodium 1300 versus 1500 mg, a 13 percent gap; copper 0.2 versus 0.21 mg

What a real portion looks like

• USDA gives Worcestershire sauce 1300 mg of sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), and the FNDDS tablespoon of 16 g therefore carries about 208 mg of sodium, close to 9 percent of the 2300 mg Daily Value. — USDA reference record for the product and the US dietary survey measure for it, not a measurement in people Evidence E source
  1300 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), 208 mg per 16 g tablespoon, 9 percent of the 2300 mg Daily Value per tablespoon

What it does to your health

• Across 85 randomized trials with sodium intakes from 0.4 to 7.6 g per day and follow-up from 4 weeks to 36 months, blood pressure falls in an approximately linear way as sodium intake falls, with no flattening at the low or the high end. — 85 experimental trials in adults with hypertension (65 trials), without hypertension (11) or mixed (9), over 10,000 participants in total (n = 85 trials, over 10,000 participants) Evidence A source
  Approximately linear fall in systolic and diastolic blood pressure across the whole sodium range, steeper in people with higher baseline blood pressure
• In 35 randomized trials in 2885 adults already treated for hypertension, every 100 mmol per day cut in sodium excretion lowered systolic blood pressure by 6.81 mm Hg (95% CI 4.96 to 8.66) over a median of 28 days. — 2885 adults with hypertension on constant blood pressure medication, median trial duration 28 days (n = 2885) Evidence A source
  Systolic -6.81 mm Hg (95% CI 4.96 to 8.66), diastolic -3.85 mm Hg (95% CI 2.26 to 5.43), mean arterial -4.83 mm Hg (95% CI 3.22 to 6.44) per 100 mmol sodium reduction, larger with beta-blockers and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone inhibitors
• Population level sodium reduction programs lowered office systolic blood pressure by 2.64 mm Hg (95% CI 1.80 to 3.48) across 36 cluster randomized trials with 66,803 participants. — 66,803 participants in 36 cluster randomized trials, adults in 30 trials and children in 5 (n = 66803) Evidence A source
  Office systolic blood pressure -2.64 mm Hg (95% CI 1.80 to 3.48) versus usual care, significant in adults but not in the 5 trials in children

Safety, limits and interactions

• The US FDA lists fish, with bass, flounder and cod as examples, among the nine major food allergens, and US law requires the label to name the food source of any major allergen used to make the food. — foods regulated by the US FDA, all consumers with food allergy Evidence E source
  Fish is one of the nine major food allergens; the label must name its food source in the ingredient list or a Contains statement
• The FDA warns that anaphylaxis can start with mild symptoms and become life-threatening in a short time without prompt treatment, and that any allergic reaction can lead to it. — people with a known food allergy Evidence E source
  A reaction may start mild and become life-threatening in a short time; any allergic reaction can lead to anaphylaxis
• WHO sets the adult ceiling for sodium at 2 g per day, equal to 5 g of salt, and states that populations consume much more than that. — adults, population level recommendation Evidence E source
  2 g sodium per day, equivalent to 5 g salt per day

What people believe that the data does not support

• In a network meta-analysis of 34 randomized trials in 37,063 adults across 15 countries, the authors state that moderate-potassium low-sodium salt substitutes appear acceptable and safe in people without renal impairment, but that clinicians should rule out kidney disease and hyperkalemia risk before recommending them. — 37,063 adults in 34 randomized trials across 15 countries, mean age 62.3 years, 17 trials from China (n = 37063) Evidence A source
  Authors safety statement only: acceptable and safe in people without renal impairment, kidney disease and hyperkalemia risk to be ruled out first, large trials outside China still needed
• US regulation keeps sodium and salt apart and states that sodium chloride is 39 percent sodium by weight, which is why a salt figure and a sodium figure for the same sauce are not the same number. — US food labeling, general population Evidence E source
  Sodium chloride is 39 percent sodium by weight
• The EU register holds no claim for Worcestershire sauce, and the only authorized sodium wording is that reducing sodium consumption contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure, which belongs to low or reduced sodium foods. — EU food labeling, general population Evidence E source
  Authorized wording only, and this sauce at 1300 to 1500 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g) is not a low or reduced sodium food

Who this works differently for

• Under US rules barley counts as a gluten-containing grain, and a food labeled gluten-free may not contain an ingredient derived from barley, wheat or rye that has not been processed to remove gluten, and must stay below 20 ppm gluten. — United States food labeling, foods carrying a gluten-free claim Evidence E source
  Wheat, rye and barley are gluten-containing grains; a gluten-free food may not contain an ingredient derived from them that was not processed to remove gluten, and must stay below 20 ppm gluten
• Across 93 European studies, 1.4% of people reported a fish allergy at some point in life, while allergy confirmed by a food challenge was found in 0.02%. — all age groups in Europe, studies published up to 2021 (n = 93 studies) Evidence C source
  Self-reported lifetime fish allergy 1.4% (95% CI 0.8 to 2.0); food challenge-verified point prevalence 0.02% (0.0 to 0.1)

What is still unknown

• The Cochrane review of low sodium salt substitutes pooled 26 randomized trials with 34,961 adults and 92 children, and found no trial at all in pregnant women. — 34,961 adults and 92 children in 26 randomized trials, smallest trial 10 people and largest 20,995 (n = 35053) Evidence A source
  No effect estimate taken here, the card records the evidence gap in pregnancy and the very small child sample

The bottom line

What that means for a bottle of sauce depends on how large a share of your salt comes through it, and nothing on this page measures that share for any real kitchen. In 35 randomized trials in 2885 adults already taking blood pressure medication, every 100 mmol per day cut in sodium excretion lowered systolic pressure by 6.81 mm Hg (95% CI 4.96 to 8.66) over a median of 28 days. A hundred millimoles is about 2.3 g of sodium, roughly eleven tablespoons of this sauce, and every trial in that pool worked at doses of that size, so the coefficient cannot be scaled down to one tablespoon in a straight line. Programs that lowered salt across whole communities moved office systolic pressure by 2.64 mm Hg (95% CI 1.80 to 3.48) across 36 cluster randomized trials in 66,803 people, with the effect significant in adults and not in the five trials that enrolled children. Swapping your salt for a low sodium substitute is a different decision, and it carries a warning of its own. A network meta-analysis pooled 34 randomized trials in 37,063 adults across 15 countries, 17 of those trials run in China. Its authors write that these products appear acceptable and safe in people without renal impairment, but that clinicians should rule out kidney disease and hyperkalemia risk before recommending them, and that large trials outside China are still needed. The Cochrane review of these products pooled 26 randomized trials with 34,961 adults and 92 children and found no trial in pregnant women at all, so in pregnancy the safety of the swap is simply unestablished. Two national tables disagree about the iron in this sauce. USDA gives 5.3 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) and the United Kingdom CoFID table gives 10.1 mg, a gap of 48 percent, while their sodium figures sit close together at 1300 and 1500 mg. Recipes differ between markets and the matching of those two records is automatic, so read the iron number as unsettled. One label habit is worth carrying to the shelf. Salt and sodium are different figures, because sodium chloride is 39 percent sodium by weight. The EU register holds no claim for Worcestershire sauce, and the only authorized sodium wording belongs to foods low or reduced in sodium, which at 1300 to 1500 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) this sauce is not.

Sources

1. hf2-wrc-1 · reference dataset
   FDC Branded Foods, 88 products named WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE: ingredient list names ANCHOV or FISH in 57, soy in 35. FDC 2419761 McCormick & Company WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (published 12/22/2022): DISTILLED VINEGAR, WATER, MOLASSES, SUGAR, SALT, SPICES, CITRIC ACID, ANCHOVY (FISH), CELERY SEED, NATURAL FLAVOR (CONTAINS SOY), XANTHAN GUM (THICKENER), GARLIC POWDER & TAMARIND EXTRACT. FDC 1945635 Ahold USA WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (7/29/2021): DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR, SUGAR, MOLASSES, WATER, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, SPICES, NATURAL FLAVOR, GARLIC POWDER, ANCHOVIES, TAMARIND.
   USDA FoodData Central, Branded Foods, 88 Worcestershire sauce records incl. fdc_id 2419761 and 1945635, retrieved 2026-10-08 · checked 2026-10-08
2. hf2-wrc-2 · reference dataset
   FDC Branded Foods, 88 products named WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE: ingredient list names MALT, BARLEY or WHEAT (not wheat-free) in 10. FDC 2189898 Target Stores WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (12/1/2021): DISTILLED VINEGAR, MOLASSES, MALT VINEGAR, SUGAR, SALT, ... FDC 2317299 Woolworths Worcestershire Sauce 250ml (5/23/2022): Water, Vinegar, Golden Syrup, Molasses, Brown Sugar, Sugar, Salt, Tamarind, Spices (Contains Chilli), Natural Colour (Malted Barley), Anchovy. FDC 2234214 Annie's Organic Worcestershire Sauce (4/1/2022): ... SOY SAUCE* (WATER, SOYBEANS*, WHEAT*, SALT, ALCOHOL*) ...
   USDA FoodData Central, Branded Foods, 88 Worcestershire sauce records incl. fdc_id 2189898, 2317299 and 2234214, retrieved 2026-10-08 · checked 2026-10-08
3. wrc-daily-r5-07 · USDA FoodData Central versus CoFID, datasets
   USDA-FDC:171610 Sauce, worcestershire: sodium 1300 mg, iron 5.3 mg, copper 0.2 mg per 100 g; CoFID-2021:17-723 Worcestershire sauce, group WCN: sodium 1500 mg, iron 10.1 mg, copper 0.21 mg per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central FDC 171610 and CoFID 2021, Public Health England, code 17-723, OGL v3.0 · checked 2026-09-25
4. wrc-daily-r5-06 · USDA FoodData Central and FNDDS, datasets
   USDA-FDC:171610 Sauce, worcestershire, SR Legacy, group Soups, Sauces, and Gravies: sodium 1300 mg per 100 g (57% DV), iron 5.3 mg (29% DV), copper 0.2 mg (22% DV); USDA-FNDDS:2707447 Worcestershire sauce, food code 41420450, category Mustard and other condiments: 1 tablespoon (measure 21000) = 16 g
   USDA FoodData Central FDC 171610 (SR Legacy) and USDA FNDDS food code 41420450, fdc_id 2707447 · checked 2026-09-25
5. wrc-daily-r5-01 · dose-response meta-analysis
   We identified 85 eligible trials with sodium intake ranging from 0.4 to 7.6 g/d and follow-up from 4 weeks to 36 months. ... Overall, the pooled data were compatible with an approximately linear relationship between achieved sodium intake and mean systolic as well as diastolic BP, with no indication of a flattening of the curve at either the lowest or highest levels of sodium exposure.
   Circulation, 2021 · checked 2026-09-25
6. wrc-daily-r5-02 · dose-response meta-analysis in treated hypertension
   We included 35 studies (median duration of 28 days) with a total of 2885 participants. For every 100 mmol reduction in 24-hour urinary sodium excretion, systolic blood pressure decreased by 6.81 mm Hg (95% CI, 4.96-8.66), diastolic blood pressure decreased by 3.85 mm Hg (95% CI, 2.26-5.43), and mean arterial pressure decreased by 4.83 mm Hg (95% CI, 3.22-6.44).
   Hypertension, 2024 · checked 2026-09-25
7. wrc-daily-r5-03 · meta-analysis of cluster randomized trials
   This meta-analysis considered 36 articles with 66,803 participants to be eligible. The population-based sodium reduction interventions decreased office systolic BP (SBP) compared with usual care in 36 studies (MD: -2.64 mmHg [95% confidence interval: -3.48- to 1.80]), with evidence of heterogeneity.
   Hypertens Res, 2025 · checked 2026-09-25
8. hf2-wrc-3 · agency consumer page
   While many different foods can cause allergic reactions, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA) identified eight foods as major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. ... FALCPA requires that food labels identify the food source names of all major food allergens used to make the food.
   US FDA, Food Allergies: What You Need to Know, content current as of 08/16/2024 · checked 2026-10-08
9. hf2-wrc-4 · agency consumer page
   Symptoms of anaphylaxis may start out as relatively mild but, if not treated promptly, symptoms can become life-threatening in a short amount of time. ... It is important to understand that a mild allergic reaction does not always mean the allergy is mild. Any allergic reaction has potential to lead to anaphylaxis.
   US FDA, Food Allergies: What You Need to Know, content current as of 08/16/2024 · checked 2026-10-08
10. wrc-daily-r5-08 · WHO guideline
    In many cases, they are consuming much more than the current World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation on sodium consumption for adults, which is 2 g sodium/day (equivalent to 5 g salt/day) (7).
    WHO, Guideline: sodium intake for adults and children, 2012 · checked 2026-09-25
11. wrc-daily-r5-04 · network meta-analysis
    We included 34 randomised controlled trials involving 37,063 participants across 15 countries (17 from China, 17 from other countries; mean age 62.3 years). ... These products appear acceptable and safe in people without renal impairment, but clinicians should rule out kidney disease and hyperkalaemia risk before recommending them, and large trials in non-Chinese populations are needed.
    BMC Med, 2026 · checked 2026-09-25
12. wrc-daily-r5-09 · 21 CFR health claim text
    Sodium is specified here as the chemical entity or electrolyte “sodium” and is distinguished from sodium chloride, or salt, which is 39 percent sodium by weight.
    21 CFR 101.74, Health claims: sodium and hypertension · checked 2026-09-25
13. wrc-daily-r5-10 · claim register entry
    POL-HC-6379 Foods with a low or reduced content of sodium Reducing consumption of sodium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure Authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6379, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-25
14. hf2-wrc-5 · regulation
    The term “gluten-containing grain” means any one of the following grains or their crossbred hybrids (e.g., triticale, which is a cross between wheat and rye): (i) Wheat, including any species belonging to the genus Triticum; (ii) Rye, including any species belonging to the genus Secale; or (iii) Barley, including any species belonging to the genus Hordeum. ... An ingredient that is derived from a gluten-containing grain and that has not been processed to remove gluten (e.g., wheat flour); ... Any unavoidable presence of gluten in the food bearing the claim in its labeling is below 20 ppm gluten (i.e., below 20 mg gluten per kg of food).
    21 CFR 101.91, Gluten-free labeling of food · checked 2026-10-08
15. hf2-wrc-6 · systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence studies
    The overall pooled estimates for all age groups of self-reported lifetime prevalence were as follows: cow's milk (5.7%, 95% confidence interval 4.4-6.9), egg (2.4%, 1.8-3.0), wheat (1.6%, 0.9-2.3), soy (0.5%, 0.3-0.7), peanut (1.5%, 1.0-2.1), tree nuts (0.9%, 0.6-1.2), fish (1.4%, 0.8-2.0) and shellfish (0.4%, 0.3-0.6). The point prevalence of food challenge-verified allergy were as follows: cow's milk (0.3%, 0.1-0.5), egg (0.8%, 0.5-1.2), wheat (0.1%, 0.01-0.2), soy (0.3%, 0.1-0.4), peanut (0.1%, 0.0-0.2), tree nuts (0.04%, 0.02-0.1), fish (0.02%, 0.0-0.1) and shellfish (0.1%, 0.0-0.2).
    Allergy, 2023 · checked 2026-10-08
16. wrc-daily-r5-05 · Cochrane systematic review
    We included 26 RCTs, 16 randomising individual participants and 10 randomising clusters (families, households or villages). A total of 34,961 adult participants and 92 children were randomised to either LSSS or regular salt, with the smallest trial including 10 and the largest including 20,995 participants. No studies in pregnant women were identified.
    Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2022 · checked 2026-09-25