Action on Sugar Issues Warning Over ‘Healthy’ Fruit Snacks
Campaign group Action on Sugar has released a warning over the sugar content of fruit snacks, which are often marketed as a healthy alternative to confectionary.
As part of a research study, Action on Sugar representatives analysed 94 products such as dried fruit and coated fruit flakes, which were on sale in UK outlets. They found that 85 percent contained more sugar than popular treat Haribo Starmix. Some of the worst offenders were found to contain more than three to four teaspoons of sugar in a small bag, making them worse than many sweets and chocolate bars in terms of sugar content. The worst offenders were The Fruit Factory Sports Mix-Ups, which contain a staggering 81g of sugar per 100g and Tesco Yoghurt Coated Strawberry Bites, which contained 70.1g of sugar per 100g. In comparison, Haribo Starmix contains 47g of sugar per 100g serving.
Campaign director at Action on Sugar, Katherine Jenner, said that it’s difficult enough for parents to encourage their children to adopt a healthy diet without being mislead by manufacturers who claim to be offering healthy alternatives to popular treats.
Following the release of the statistics, Action on Sugar has called for parents to provide children with fresh fruit, rather than processed products, as it contains a much lower level of natural sugar and important nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
Chair of the nutrition committee at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Colin Michie, described the findings as “frightful” and “stunning” and called for parents to be wary when doing their shopping, as sugar is not an essential part of any person’s diet and the benefits of eating fruit are removed by adding yoghurt coatings and sugary shells.
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