Brekkie biscuits with more sugar than Coco Pops
IF you thought starting your morning with a breakfast biscuit was good for your health, think again.
Researchers have found you may as well be crunching your way through a bowl of Coco Pops.
The so-called healthy biscuits can contain more sugar than a bowl of the Kellogg’s cereal, according to research by campaign group Action on Sugar.
Marketed as ‘a great start to your day’ and ‘energy for the whole morning’, the biscuits are a no-fuss option for breakfast.
But a survey of 39 products sold in supermarkets found 46 per cent contained the same or more sugar than a standard 1 oz serving of Kellogg’s Coco Pops.
Each had at least a teaspoon of sugar, and some up to four.
Not one would qualify for a green rating under the trafficlight system for food labelling.
German discounter Lidl stocked the worst offenders, with Sondey Envitas Breakfast Biscuits Chocolate & hazelnut and Sondey Envitas Breakfast Biscuit Chocolate containing four teaspoons of sugar per biscuit.
The next were BelVita’s Breakfast Yogurt Crunch Creamy Live Yogurt Cocoa Biscuits and Breakfast Cocoa with Choc Chip, both made by US giant Mondelez International.
While some of the sugar comes from the milk and dried fruit in the biscuits, the rest is added by the manufacturers.
Nutritionist Kawther hashem, of Action on Sugar, said: ‘Just because a product contains added vitamins and is promoted as a healthy option doesn’t necessarily make it the best option for breakfast on-the-go.
‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Choose it wisely and don’t be misled into buying products that are convenient but not entirely healthy.’
She added: ‘If we really want the health of the nation to improve, the food industry needs to produce and promote healthier breakfast options that are lower in sugar and higher in fibre with accurate front- of- pack nutrition labelling.’
Farley’s Rusks used to be the only popular breakfast biscuit, but Belvita’s launch of a range for adults six years ago saw the market’s value soar to almost £80 million-a-year.
Data was collected by visiting Aldi, ASDA, Co-operative, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose using the FoodSwitch app to collect nutritional information.
Thirty six of the 39 biscuits had more sugar than a 1 oz bowl of Nestle Toffee Crisp Cereal, which contains 2 teaspoons.
The report said BelVita boxes offer nutrition information for one biscuit, even though the packets inside contain two to four biscuits, which most people assume is one serving.
It follows a Euromonitor report which found Britons consume more than twice as much sugar in a day as the global average.
Each person in the UK eats 71.7g of sugar a day in packaged foods on average.
Action On Sugar campaign manager Jennifer Rosborough called for the Government to force manufacturers to use colour- coded nutrition labelling, which she said would encourage reductions in sugar, fat and salt and ensure products were promoted responsibly.