Lunchbox favourites loaded with salt, sugar

PARENTS could be packing more than 12 teaspoons of sugar into their children’s lunch boxes by giving them snacks designed for kids, a consumer campaign group has claimed.

Which? assessed the nutritional content of items that fit into children’s lunchboxes and found some were “full of salt and sugar”.

The Which? report found that:

nOne pack of Dairylea Lunchables Ham ‘n’ Cheese Crackers contained 1.8g of salt, more than half the recommended daily allowance of a four- to six-year-old.

nA 200ml Robinsons Fruit Shoot orange juice drink contained 23g of sugar, which equals almost five teaspoons.

nKellogg’s Frosties Cereal & Milk Bars contained seven different sugars, with sugar making up almost a third (8g) of a 25g bar.

nA Munch Bunch Double Up Fromage Frais contained more than two teaspoons (12.4g) of sugar and only 2.25g of fruit puree.

Which? is calling for robust rules on when products can make health and nutrition claims to help families pick out healthier food.

Which? magazine editor Martyn Hocking said: “Parents should be able to pick out healthy products for their kids’ lunch boxes, but what you see isn’t always what you get. Some products give the impression of being healthy, but are full of salt and sugar.

“The best way to beat the lunch-box baddies is by checking the nutrition and ingredient information. We’d also like to see the rules on health and nutrition claims made tougher so that there’s less confusion on the supermarket shelves.”

The food and drink manufacturing industry hit back at the report, saying it seemed to be based on “flawed thinking”.

Julian Hunt, director of communications at the Food and Drink Federation, said: “We haven’t fully digested this particular magazine article, but on first reading it seems to be based on some flawed thinking and an apparently random survey.”

A spokesman for Robinsons Fruit Shoot drinks said: “85% of all Fruit Shoot purchased is low sugar with less than 2.4g of sugar per 200ml. We provide clear nutritional information on packs so that parents can make an informed choice about what suits them and their families.”

A spokesman for Nestle, which produces The Munch Bunch range, said: “Part of the sugar content of a pot of Munch Bunch Double Up Fromage Frais mentioned in the Which? report, occurs naturally through the milk and fruit in the product.”