Healthy cereal bars 'are myth'

Saturday 18 August 2012

The image of cereal bars as a healthy snack is a "myth", according to a Which?

Custom byline text:

study that found more than half of those tested contained at least 30% 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 one-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% sugar, or more than two teaspoons, Which? found.Six of the seven cereal bars targeted at children were high in saturated fat.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, the watchdog concluded.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.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."

Contextual targeting label:

Food and drink

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Healthy cereal bars 'are myth'

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED