‘Healthy’ Cereal Bars Packed With Sugar

19 Mar 2015 --- UK consumer right group Which? has found that some cereal bars that are perceived as healthy have more than 40% sugar, and has called for clear traffic light nutrition labelling on all the cereal bar packaging.

The snapshot survey of 15 leading cereal bars and breakfast biscuits analysed the amount of sugar in each bar and found some are more suited to the confectionery aisle, including those marketed directly at children.

The survey found a Kellogg’s Coco Pops Snack Bar – aimed at children – was the worst offender of those looked at, made up of a staggering 42% sugar. Others marketed at children, such as Kellogg’s Rice Krispie Bar and Frosties Bar and Harvest Chewee (Milk Choc Chip) were also high in sugar and saturated fat.

Some cereal bars make claims about the health benefits, such as the vitamin and mineral content but the survey found while Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Fruit Breakfast Bars (Strawberry) contains 31% wholegrain cereal, they are made up of a third (33%) sugar. Quaker Oat So Simple Golden Syrup Morning Bars, which are just over 15% sugar, were the lowest for sugar overall.

Only one of the leading products looked at had clear traffic light nutrition labelling on the front of pack. Mars’s Tracker Bar displays the scheme, making it clear that it is high in sugar, fat and saturated fat.

A further Which? survey has found that just a quarter (26%) of people are satisfied with the action government is taking to help people to eat healthily and only 23% in the case of manufacturers. The top actions people say they want from government include encouraging industry to lower the fat, sugar and salt content in foods and ensuring that food companies don’t use tactics that appeal to children to promote less healthy food.

Which? has called on the next government to lead initiatives to make it easier to eat healthily and ultimately tackle rates of obesity and diet-related disease. This should include industry-wide uptake of traffic light labelling, ensuring more responsible promotions and reductions in levels of fat, sugar and salt in foods.

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd, said: “It’s worrying that cereal bars, especially those aimed at children or claiming to be healthy, contain so much sugar but most don’t make this clear on the front of the pack.

“We now want the Government to tackle this issue head on by making sure all manufacturers use traffic light nutrition labelling, encouraging reductions in sugar, fat and salt and ensuring manufacturers promote their products responsibly.”