Some of the country�s most popular tourist attractions, including Glasgow�s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, have been criticised by a leading consumer group for offering too much junk food and not enough healthy options for visitors.

ALISON CAMPSIE and HEATHER McLELLAN
Some of the country's most popular tourist attractions, including Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, have been criticised by a leading consumer group for offering too much junk food and not enough healthy options for visitors.

Research carried out by Which? concluded that just 29% of those who had visited a UK attraction in the past year found that there was a good choice of food available, with 58% reporting that the food on offer was unhealthy.

Eight of the most popular attractions were visited by a Which? dietician and researcher to sample the availability and prominence of healthy food at each one.

Some visitor attractions, such as the Eden Project in Cornwall and the Tate Modern in London, had a wide range of healthy food but others, including Blackpool Pleasure Beach, relied too much on fried and sugary foods, the report found.

Alton Towers was singled out for its positive approach to creating diverse and plentiful low-fat menus.

Lorna Cowan, editor of Which? Holidays, said: "It's great to see that some attractions, such as Alton Towers, are making a real effort to promote healthy foods.

"But healthy options at these attractions are often not very well labelled."

At Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, both the Coffee at Kelvingrove shop and the KG Cafe were tested by Which? The first, a self-service cafeteria, was credited for displaying fresh fruit, fruit salad and salads with the same prominence as higher-fat snacks. But healthy points were lost on the salads, which all came with oil-based dressings. The cafeteria was given a three out of five rating for its approach to healthy food.

The museum's KG Cafe scored two and a half out of five after researchers found its servings were generally unhealthy. While it was "relatively easy" to choose a low-fat and low-sugar breakfast, sandwiches were served with crisps and all salads came laced with oily dressings. Although researchers found there were some low-fat main meal options, most of the accompanying vegetables were cooked in oil.

Yesterday, visitors to Kelvingrove's KG Cafe generally praised its food.

Elaine Sommerville, 38, an architect from Glasgow's west end, described her salad and sandwich as "delicious but quite oily".

She found the menu "healthy" but the most nutritious foods were not clearly marked, she said.

Sally Martin, a housewife from Stirling, had no complaints. She said: "The food isn't greasy, it feels very healthy and fresh and the price was extremely reasonable."

A spokesman for Encore Catering at Kelvingrove said that it was reviewing its "entire menu" at KG cafe and was working with the Scottish Consumer Council to achieve its Healthy Living Award.

"We will tailor our menus to offer at least three or four lower fat options and for these to be prominently highlighted with the Healthy Living' sign of healthier food."

More than 900 businesses are registered with the Healthy Living Award, which challenges businesses to make their menus more nutritious within six months. The Falkirk Wheel, New Lanark Visitor Centre, Brodick Castle on Arran and the Scottish Wool Centre in Aberfoyle are among the 370 businesses which have achieved the status.