Supposedly healthy snacks that are popular in children's lunchboxes, such as cereal bars and fruit drinks, are laden with sugar, a consumer group has warned.Which? analysed the nutritional content of a range of items targeted by leading manufacturers at children's lunchboxes and found that a combination of the most sugary food and drinks could yield the equivalent of 12 teaspoonfuls of sugar in one meal.
Healthy snacks? The report said that of the numerous such products on supermarket shelves, "many declare that they don't contain additives, but don't mention they're also full of salt or sugar – giving the impression they're healthier than they are".
Among those singled out is Robinsons Fruit Shoot orange juice drink, with each 200ml bottle containing 23g of sugar – the equivalent of almost five teaspoonfuls.
The report's analysis also shows that Kellogg's Frosties Cereal and Milk bars are made up of seven different sugars, which means the 25g bar is almost a third (8g) sugar. The company's website says: "Fortified with vitamins, iron and calcium, now you can give your kids a great tasting snack that you can be sure won't come back from school in the lunchbox!"
Munch Bunch Double Up fromage frais contains more than two teaspoons (12.4g) of sugar, but only 2.25g of fruit puree.
Among those high in salt is a pack of Dairylea Lunchables Ham 'n' Cheese crackers, which contains 1.8g of salt – more than half the government's recommended daily allowance of 3g for a four- to six-year-old child.
Which? points out that Dairylea promotes the fact that this product contains half of a child's recommended daily calcium intake. However, it still remains high in fat and saturated fat.
To help families choose healthier food, Which? is calling for more robust rules on when products can make health and nutrition claims. It says this would stop manufacturers making items that contain high amounts of sugar, fat and salt appear healthier than they are.
Martyn Hocking, editor of Which? magazine, said: "Parents should be able to pick out healthy snack products for their kids' lunchboxes, but what you see isn't always what you get. Some products give the impression of being healthy, but are full of salt and sugar."
He added: "The best way to beat the lunchbox baddies is by checking the nutrition and ingredient information. We'd also like to see the rules on health and nutrition claims made tougher, so there's less confusion on the supermarket shelves."
Britvic, which manufacturers Robinsons Fruit Shoots, said all its products provided clear nutritional information on packs. A spokesman said: "85% of all Fruit Shoot purchased is low-sugar, with less than 2.4g of sugar per 200ml. Fruit Shoot offers a range of choices to suit a variety of needs, including Fruit Shoot H2O – a low-calorie flavoured water – and Fruit Shoot 100% Pure Juice that counts as one of the recommended five-a-day."
