It is considered the most important meal of the day, yet according to a report today the most popular brands of breakfast cereal - including those targeted at children - are laden with sugar. Typical portions of some were found to contain more sugar than a Cadbury chocolate Flake, despite manufacturers' claims to be reducing the level of unhealthy ingredients.
A survey by the consumers' organisation Which? of 100 cereals bought from the main supermarkets found a lower proportion of high-sugar cereals overall compared with 2006.
But only eight of the products qualified for a Food Standards Agency healthy "green light" for low levels of sugar, with 31 out the 100 cereals examined containing more than four teaspoons of sugar to a recommended serving. Only one of the 28 cereals specifically marketed at children, Kellogg's Rice Krispies, was found not to be high in sugar, but it was high in salt.
Many brands perceived to be healthy, including Kellogg's All Bran, Bran Flakes and Special K, also had high levels of sugar. Morrisons Choco Crackles cereal tops the sweet mountain with more sugar to a serving than a Cadbury Flake, followed closely by Kellogg's Coco Pops Moons and Stars, Frosties and Ricicles, which were more than a third - 37% - pure sugar, according to the Which? report.
The report, Going Against the Grain, said there had been some progress since 2006, with the biggest improvements made in reducing salt levels. Only eight of the 100 cereals were classed as high in salt in 2009, compared with almost a fifth of the 275 sampled in 2006. But Which? highlighted Tesco Special Flakes, where 100g was still found to contain the same amount of salt as 100g of Walkers ready salted crisps. Cereals are also still labelled inconsistently, the report said, with many manufacturers and some shops not using the government's recommended "traffic light" scheme.
Sue Davies, chief policy adviser at Which?, said: "Some cereals deserve their healthy image, but most simply don't. It's especially shocking that almost all those targeted at children are less healthy."
Cereal manufacturers need "to wake up to the fact that people want to eat healthily and provide them with the means to do so by reducing sugar and salt levels and making labelling clearer", she added. "With over £1bn spent every year, it's time they rose to the occasion."
Kellogg's said: "Which? say reports like this are part of their drive to curb obesity yet they demonise breakfast cereals that, with milk, have around 170 calories and contain less sugar than a slice of buttered toast and jam or a cup of sweetened tea or coffee. While this grabs headlines and sells magazines it shouldn't be confused with sound scientific research that consistently shows that people who eat breakfast cereals, regardless of sugar content, are slimmer than those who don't."
Morrisons said it had a programme of development on its own-label brands and the two products highlighted by Which? had been reformulated.
Wake up call
Top 10 for sugar content (per 100g)
Morrisons Choco Crackles (38.4g)
Kellogg's Coco Pops Moons & Stars (37g)
Kellogg's Frosties (37g)
Kellogg's Ricicles (37g)
Sainsbury's Choco Rice Pops (36g)
Tesco Choco Snaps (36g)
Nestle Cookie Crisp (35.3g)
Nestle Cheerios Honey (35.1g)
Kellogg's Crunchy Nut (35g)
Nestlé Nesquik (35g)
• Source: Which?
