Warning over ‘healthy’ cereal bars full of fat, salt and sugar

PEOPLE who buy cereal bars believing they are healthy may be taking in far more fat, sugar and salt than they imagine, according to a new report.

All but one of 30 branded cereal bars tested in a Which? study were high in sugar – with 16 containing more than 30 per cent sugar.

One bar, Nutri-Grain Elevenses, contained nearly four teaspoons of sugar (18g) – more than in a small 150ml can of cola (15.9g) and 20% of the recommended daily allowance.

The Tracker Roasted Nut bar was found to be almost a third fat, and while some of this came from the peanuts and hazelnuts that also provide some nutritional content, the ingredients also contained vegetable fat and harmful hydrogenated fats.

Monster Puffs, a cereal bar marketed to children and 
described as “great for your lunchbox”, contained 43.5 per cent sugar, or more than two teaspoons, Which? found. Six of the seven cereal bars targeted at children were high in saturated fat.

Which? executive director
Richard Lloyd said: “People often choose cereal bars in the belief they’re healthier than chocolate or biscuits but our research shows this can be a myth.

“With high levels of sugar and saturated fat in some of these products they should be on the sweet counter, not marketed as health foods.

“Manufacturers need to be much clearer about how much sugar, fat and calories are loaded into each bar so people can make an informed choice. We want all foods to have the
traffic light colour coding system so people can see easily what they’re eating and giving to their children.”

Which? is calling for manufacturers to reduce sugar and fat in food products marketed to children and for tighter controls over the way they are promoted.

Carina Norris, an author and nutritionist based in Fife, said: “It’s an easy trap to fall into, but some cereal bars have got as much sugar and fat as things like Mars and Snickers bars.

“But because they have oats and nuts in them, people think they are eating something really healthy.

“Although there are some which are good it really does show you have to read the label and check the nutritional information.”

A spokeswoman for Kellogg’s, which makes the Nutri-Grain Elevenses bar, said: “We’re confused as to why anyone would call a Nutri-Grain Elevenses snack a cereal bar. If you’ve eaten one you know it’s not.

“It’s a baked bar and looks and eats much more like a muffin or cake. We bake it like a cake and market it as a mid-morning snack.

“In fact, compared to other similar mid-morning snacks, it’s one of the choices that has slightly less sugar than the norm.”

Which? compared the nutritional content of the bars using the manufacturers’ information and applied traffic light labelling to see if the levels of fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt were high, medium or low.

The Nakd Apple Pie was the only bar in the study that did not contain any added sugar, while the Alpen Light Apple and Sultana was the only one to have three green traffic lights for fat, saturated fat and salt.

The Weetabix Oaty Strawberry Crusher bar was the healthiest choice for children, with a low salt content and medium levels of fat and saturated fat.