Chocolate spreads with 57 teaspoons of sugar in them
YOU might want to spread your Nutella more thinly after finding out how much sugar it contains.
Some toast-toppers contain as much as 57 teaspoons of sugar in a single jar, researchers have warned.
The amount of sugar on two slices of bread can add up to 24g or six teaspoons – the recommended daily maximum for a child aged seven to ten.
The figures come from a survey of 272 chocolate spreads, jams and marmalades by the campaign group Action on Sugar.
Leading brand Nutella Ferrero Hazelnut Spread with Cocoa contains 11.8g per 20g serving. More than two-thirds of the 37 other chocolate spreads surveyed also contained over 10g of sugar per 20g serving.
The highest level of sugar for chocolate spreads was found in the Tesco Original and Tesco Duo varieties. Both came in at 11.8g per 20g serving.
Public Health England has called on manufacturers of processed foods to change their recipes and cut sugar lev- els by an average of 20 per cent in an effort to tackle obesity, particularly among children.
Campaigners complained there is four times more sugar than hazelnuts in several products that are marketed as ‘hazelnut spread’.
Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Queen Mary University of London, said this sort of labelling is deceptive. The chairman of Action on Sugar said: ‘Companies that make these “sugar spreads”, and specifically market them misleadingly as something else to children, should consider their ethical and corporate responsibility.’ Action of Sugar added that Jim Jams Hazelnut Chocolate Spread comes in at just 1.7g of sugar per serving, less than half a teaspoon.
And The Best Dark Chocolate Spread from Morrisons has 5.8g of sugar per serving while Waitrose 1 Dark Chocolate Spread has 8.4g.
Tesco said it is reducing the salt, sugar and fat in its products.
Ferrero claimed Nutella is healthier than some other breakfast options, such as jam and butter, and is not marketed at children.
It added it can be enjoyed as part of a varied diet.