Customers are being “misled” by snack bars that are marketed as “healthy” but are actually packed with sugar and calories, experts have warned.
A new study from Action on Salt and Sugar at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) analysed the nutritional content of more than 450 bars sold across ten supermarkets in the UK.
It found more than a third of the bars (37 per cent) were marked high in sugar, while over half (55 per cent) were high in saturated fat. Additionally, despite being sold as “healthy”, the analysis revealed that an alarming almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of snack bars would be classified as a ‘less healthy’ product.
Among the worst offenders were the M&S Dark Chocolate Date Bar, which contained 198 calories but a whopping 26.5g of sugar per serving, the Nakd. Raw Fruit & Nut Bars in the flavours Blueberry Muffin and Salted Caramel (131 and 134 calories respectively with 17g sugar each), and the Deliciously Ella Roasted Peanut Protein Ball, which had 150 calories and 16g sugar per serving.
Government guidelines suggest adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to 7 sugar cubes), and children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugars a day (6 sugar cubes).
Researchers are now calling on the government to introduce mandatory front-of-pack labelling to allow customers to spot healthy options easily, stop misleading claims and introduce levies to encourage buyers to make healthier choices.
Dr Kawther Hashem, senior lecturer in public health nutrition and head of research and impact at Action on Salt & Sugar based at QMUL said parents and young people are being “misled” into believing they are buying healthy products when many snack bars contain excess sugar and calories.
“The government must take more assertive action by mandating clear front-of-pack labelling and tightening the sugar thresholds, introducing levies on unhealthy foods, and setting ambitious healthy sales targets to truly protect children’s health,” she said.
Nourhan Barakat, nutritionist at Action on Salt & Sugar added “We, as consumers, deserve honesty from food businesses and shouldn’t have to decode confusing or misleading claims.
“Phrases like ‘natural ingredients’, ‘high in fibre’ and ‘high protein’, can be deceptive as many of these bars can be high in sugar and saturated fat. It’s unacceptable that an average serving provides nearly one-third of a child’s recommended daily sugar intake, putting young children at risk of diet-related health conditions that they could carry with them for life.”
Deliciously Ella said its Roasted Peanut Protein Ball is a “functional, energising snack made from six simple ingredients” but that they don’t have “specific nutritional figures for sugar or saturated fat” beyond those publicly shared. It added it “always strives for transparency and high quality”.
Marks & Spencer, Nakd, and the Department for Health and Social Care have been contacted for comment.
