Chloride
Chloride nearly always travels with sodium in our database, because both sit in table salt. Salt itself supplies 60,700 mg per 100 grams, soy sauce 8400 mg, anchovies in oil 5500 mg and parmesan 2300 mg. The reference value from the EU NRV is 800 mg per day — comfortably reached here.
The claim with a striking condition
Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 sets out for this mineral the wording: "chloride contributes to normal digestion by production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach". An explicit condition comes with it: the claim may not be used for chloride originating from sodium chloride, that is, ordinary table salt. It is a textbook example of why a claim must always be quoted together with its condition; without that sentence it no longer holds.
Where chloride sits according to the data
Per 100 grams: pink Himalayan salt 60,700 mg, soy sauce 8400 mg, anchovies in oil 5500 mg, parmesan 2300 mg and smoked sausage 1800 mg. At the top sits the salt itself, at just over sixty percent chloride. The order below it is almost identical to sodium's, which is exactly what you would expect: table salt consists of those two elements in a fixed ratio. Where one scores high, the other follows. Our database shows that coupling row by row.
800 mg a day, and why it is rarely a question
The EU NRV of 800 mg per day is no challenge in the Netherlands. At average salt intake everybody sits well above it, because every gram of salt brings chloride along. That makes this the mirror image of most pages in our knowledge base: the practical question here is not how to get more, but whether total salt is not creeping too high. For that you look at the sodium side of the same label.
What this means for reading labels
Packaging rarely lists chloride these days; it lists salt, expressed in grams. That figure is calculated from the sodium content, and chloride rides along automatically. Anyone wanting to steer this nutrient therefore steers the salt line on the label in practice. That is one number you can compare in the shop, and it makes a real difference when you set two products side by side.
Our position on supplements and electrolytes
We sell no supplements and assess no electrolyte blends. For chloride that is not a difficult call: on an ordinary Dutch diet there is no reason to add anything here. If you have complaints around digestion, the stomach or medication use, that question belongs with your GP and not with a coach — we deliberately leave it there, even when the subject looks obvious.
How we compile this list
We sort every row in the DCRAFT food database on the measured value per 100 grams and take the top of that list. Rows recorded per piece, per slice or per portion do not count, because a value per piece cannot be compared with a value per 100 grams. Products listed under a brand name are left out: their composition changes outside our control, and a ranking resting on it ages without us noticing. Where several products carry precisely the same value, it comes from one shared row in our source data and we name one product from that group. We set this rule out here because a ranking without a visible selection rule is an opinion rather than a measurement.
Frequently asked questions
Which foods contain the most chloride?
Salt itself leads at 60,700 mg per 100 grams. Soy sauce follows at 8400 mg, anchovies in oil at 5500 mg and parmesan at 2300 mg.
How much chloride per day?
Europe applies 800 mg per day as the reference intake (EU NRV). At average salt intake that value is comfortably reached in the Netherlands.
Why does the chloride list resemble the sodium list?
Because table salt consists of sodium and chloride in a fixed ratio. Products scoring high on one mineral therefore almost always score high on the other.
Does chloride appear on labels?
Rarely. Packaging states salt in grams, calculated from the sodium content. Anyone wanting to steer chloride looks at that salt line in practice.
Sources
- DCRAFT food database — KILLER COACH ENGINE V2.3 workbook (accessed 26 August 2026)
- EU NRV — Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII (accessed 26 August 2026)
- Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 (accessed 26 August 2026)
Please note: This is general information about nutrition, not medical advice. If you have symptoms or suspect a deficiency, discuss it with your doctor. We do not sell supplements and have no commercial interest in any brand.
Last updated: .
Written by Dennis, founder of Dcraft Of Fitness.