'Health benefits' of cereal bars are nothing but a myth, says study

The image of cereal bars as a healthy snack is a myth, according to a study that found many contain high levels of fat and sugar. All but one of the 30 bars tested were high in sugar, with 16 containing levels above 30 per cent, the consumer group Which? found.

One bar, Nutri-Grain Elevenses, contained nearly four teaspoons of sugar (18g) – more than was found in a small 150ml can of cola (15.9g) and 20 per cent of the recommended daily allowance. The Tracker Roasted Nut bar was found to be almost a third fat; while some of this came from the peanuts and hazelnuts that also provided some nutritional content, the ingredients also contained vegetable fat and harmful hydrogenated fats.

Monster Puffs, a cereal bar aimed children and described as "great for your lunchbox", contained 43.5 per cent sugar, equivalent to more than two teaspoons-full, the Which? researchers found. Six of the seven cereal bars targeted at children were high in saturated fat.

Which? compared the nutritional content of the bars using the manufacturers' information and applied traffic-light labelling to see whether the levels of fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt were high, medium or low.

The Naked Apple Pie was the only bar tested that did not contain 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 Strawberry Crusher bar was the healthiest choice for children, with low salt content and medium levels of fat and saturated fat.

Which? urged manufacturers to cut sugar and fat in products meant children and for tighter controls on how they were promoted. The group's executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: "People often choose cereal bars in the belief they are healthier than chocolate or biscuits but our research shows this can be a myth."

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
News in pictures
World news in pictures
Life & Style blogs

Where do most millionaires live in the UK?

Plus lateral thinking and living on London's waterways

Wandsworth tops aspiring young professionals hotspot list

Other popular areas include Didsbury, Clifton in Bristol, central Cambridge and West Bridgford

Christian GPs and the morning after pill: Much needed clarification

Doctors are allowed to have personal beliefs, just as long as these beliefs do not interfere with th...

       

ES Rentals

    Independent Dating
    and  

    By clicking 'Search' you
    are agreeing to our
    Terms of Use.

    Day In a Page

    Watch out Watford: Here comes the secretive Bilderberg Group

    Watch out Watford: Here comes the secretive Bilderberg Group

    A meeting of global power brokers in a Hertfordshire hotel is exciting conspiracy theorists, but what are they really about?
    'The ultimate all-in-one home entertainment system': Microsoft finally unveils its Xbox ONE console

    'The ultimate all-in-one home entertainment system'

    Microsoft finally unveils its Xbox ONE console
    Plenty of Fish dating site founder pulls 'Intimate Encounters' option to ward off sleazy men

    Plenty of sleaze

    Dating website pulls intimate 'hook-up' section to curb harassment
    Inferno author Dan Brown 'honoured' to be invited to join the Freemasons

    The Freemasons’ Code

    Dan Brown reveals the message that told him door to the lodge is open
    Not secure any more: G4S boss heads for exit at last

    Not secure any more: G4S boss heads for exit at last

    Nick Buckles survived the Olympics débâcle and a £5bn bid fiasco but a profit warning finally triggered his downfall
    How to say ‘I’m a sellout’: Tumblr’s David Karp’s message of reassurance to his staff sounded very familiar

    How to say ‘I’m a sellout’

    Tumblr’s David Karp’s message of reassurance to his staff sounded very familiar
    Why clubs are keen to take a stand

    Why clubs are keen to take a stand

    There's a real desire around the grounds for safe standing. But will the authorities listen?
    In the end the fans decided Tony Pulis had made a pig's ear of the job at Stoke City

    In the end the fans decided Tony Pulis had made a pig's ear of the job at Stoke City

    Disillusion with a siege mentality and negative playing style made change inevitable
    James Lawton: The James Hunt I knew is the subject of a new F1 movie

    James Lawton: The James Hunt I knew is the subject of a new F1 movie

    British driver was fascinating man whose epic duel with Niki Lauda in 1976 was typical of an era of glamour and glory – but also the ever-present threat of death
    Stuart Hogg: Ready to climb his own Everest

    Stuart Hogg: Ready to climb his own Everest

    Lions' cub, 20, joins long line of players from Scottish borders club Hawick given opportunity to make his mark at highest level
    Carl Froch handed rare chance of revenge with dream rematch

    Steve Bunce on Boxing

    Carl Froch handed rare chance of revenge with dream rematch against Mikel Kessler
    'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'

    Masculinity in crisis?

    'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'
    Have US shock jocks gone too far?

    Have US shock jocks gone too far?

    An incendiary remark from Rush Limbaugh may be the beginning of the end for outspoken right-wing US broadcasters
    The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey pays more income tax than big cities of the North

    The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey

    Elmbridge pays more income tax than big cities of the North
    Heavenly Bodies

    Heavenly Bodies

    Michael Landy's artistic marriage made in heaven... and hell