‘Healthy’ breakfast bars are as bad for you as sugary cereals such as Coco Pops
Experts find same levels of sugar in half of brekkie biscuit brands as in chocolatey cereal
BREAKFAST biscuits promoted as healthy are no better than Coco Pops, experts say.
They found nearly half of 39 examined had three teaspoons of sugar per serving — the same as a bowl of the cereal.
All had at least one teaspoon per portion and 38 per cent should have a red warning label on packs due to their high sugar content, campaigners Action on Sugar insisted.
Among the most sugary were bel-Vita’s Yogurt Crunch Cocoa and Live Yogurt and Cocoa with Choc Chip flavours.
They have four teaspoons (14g) per packet — double that in a bowl of Nestle Toffee Crisp Cereal.
BelVita’s Honey and Live Yogurt variety, said to be a source of whole grains and vitamins, had three teaspoons (13.6g).
Lidl’s Envitas Chocolate & Hazelnut Breakfast Biscuits were most sugary, at four teaspoons (15g) in each serving.
Aldi’s Harvest Morn Strawberry & Yogurt variety had 13g.
McVitie’s Fruit & Oat Bakes, promoted as high fibre and “low in saturated fats”, were also in the top ten at 12.6g.
Guidelines say adults should not eat more than 30g of added sugar a day.
Action on Sugar nutritionist Kawther Hashem said: “Just because a product is promoted as healthy doesn’t necessarily make it the best for breakfast.”
The group wants ministers to set regulated targets for reducing sugar.
BelVita owner Mondelez International said it does “not claim to be healthiest” but its biscuits were the only ones “with slow release carbohydrates for four hours”.
Lidl said sugar was an industry-wide issue and that it was working on a strategy for reduction.
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