Sugar-free snacks that can cost you 80% extra

THEY are billed as healthier alternatives to cupboard staples and snacks – but sugar- free products are costing consumers up to 84 per cent more than their full-sugar counterparts.

Ingredients used to replace sugar often cost more, meaning brands hike up the prices of their healthy options.

A pot of 400g Tesco own brand chocolate spread costs £1.50. But the sugar-free version is just 10p less despite being half the weight, so customers are paying 84 per cent more per 100g for the sugar-free alternative.

A Channel 4 Supershoppers investigation reveals a standard bag of Werther’s Originals Butter Candies costs £1 for 135g, but the sugar-free version costs the same price for 80g of confectionary. So the sugar-free option is more double the price per 100g.

Professor Julian Cooper, of the University of Reading, said: ‘ Ty p i c a l l y, if you are replacing sugar in products, you are having to use ingredients that potentially are more expensive.’

A spokesman for Storck UK, manufacturer of Werther’s Original, said: ‘We create a range of products to suit different consumer needs.

‘To an extent, the difference in the weight of the packs can be attributed to the ways in which we create our products and the ingredients we use for our iconic and well-loved Werther’s Original range. The pricing of individual products is at the sole discretion of retailers.’

Representatives for Tesco were approached for comment.

Supershoppers airs tonight at 8pm on Channel 4.