The celebrated Aussie sausage sanger has been hauled over the coals for its ''extreme salt content'' in a new review that shows the bread, and everything inside it, blows sodium guidelines.

The product review found that one single sausage sandwich at a barbecue contains an adult's daily recommended dose of salt, and double that suggested for a child.

Researchers reviewed almost 200 sausage, bread and sauce products found on supermarket shelves and found the vast majority exceeded acceptable salt levels set in Britain.

Just 2 per cent of 44 sausage and hot dog brands, and 16 per cent of the 43 white bread products, met the guidelines.

There were huge content variations across products, with some sausages containing more than three times as much salt as others, the researchers said.

Dozens of tomato and barbecue sauce brands also were checked, with more than half failing to make the cut.

Research director at the George Institute for International Health in Sydney, Dr Bruce Neal, said, ''That's an incredible salt overload on its own, let alone with everything else you eat in a day.

''I know it's an icon of the Australian diet, but if people knew what they were eating and what it's doing to their health, they might well think twice about it.''

Anecdotal evidence suggests the average Australian adult consumes about 9g of salt a day, well above the 6g a day which is the limit recommended for good health.

The new review suggests the 6g threshold would be met by one sandwich, bringing with it increased health risks.

''There's very clear evidence that eating more salt pushes your blood pressure up and that increases your risk of stroke and heart attack,'' Dr Neal said.

''You're obviously not going to fall dead as you bite into the sausage, but you're going to pay for it down the track.'' AAP