Snacks that are advertised as healthy for toddlers and babies can have twice the sugar of two chocolate biscuits.
This is 8.7g, which makes it the worst offenders. A McVitie Chocolate Digestive biscuit, on the other hand, has a mere 4.8g.
Action for Sugar called for the government to ban sugary product manufacturers from making claims about their health.
The study analysed sweet snacks for children from Heinz and Nestle, as well as products by Aldi, Nestle, Heinz and Nestle.
A third of the products would have a red label for sugar if baby and toddler foods were required to have traffic light labelling on the front of their packets — meaning they contained more than 22.5g sugar per 100g.
The most popular sugary snacks had claims about health benefits like being ‘packed full of vitamins’ and’made from real fruits’.
Action on Sugar, an organization advocating less added sugar in food claims that labels could be misleading and distracting.
It said the findings are of ‘deep concern’ because babies and young children should not be eating any free sugars at all — sugars that are added to food and drink, rather than those present naturally.
Companies should be banned from making ‘misleading on-pack marketing claims’, including statements that the product contains no added or refined sugar, but includes fruit concentrate — which contains added sugar, the group said.
The Government was also asked to establish a mandatory limit on how many sugars children can eat in snacks.
Below is a graphic showing the six sweet treats Action for Sugar found had the highest sugar content per serving. Heinz Farley Mini Rusks Original is the worst. This served contained 8.7g sugar. It has around 4.8g sugar per serve, in comparison to McVitie’s Chocolate Digestive cookies. Organix Soft Oaty Bars topped the list of eight most sweet snacks. They were followed by choco orange (8.1g), banana (8.5g), and apple-and-orange (7.9g), which are the least nutritious.
Children between one-and-a-half and three-years-olds are eating more than 27.9g of sugar each day — the equivalent of seven teaspoons, according to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.
Heinz Farley’s Mini Rusks Original — aimed at children over seven months — was the worst offender in the analysis. It had 8.7g per serving.
Aldi’s Organic Mamia Soft Carrot Cake Oaty Bars was also included in the Top 10 Products.
Meanwhile, just six options had healthy sugar levels — defined as fewer than 5g per every 100g.
There were two Ella’s Kitchen sugar-free options, and there was also an option by Little Freddie (Bickiepegs) or Kiddylicious.
Nestle Cerelac Wheat, Raspberry & Banana Cereal Snack had the least amount per 100g (2.8g) and second-lowest amount per serve (0.2g).
Overall, Tesco Pear & Berries Rice Cakes had the lowest amount of sugar per serve (0.1g).
One quarter claimed that their snacks were suitable for infants under twelve months old, though this should not be confused with the fact that sugary drinks and food are best avoided.
Action for Sugar stated that there’s a legal gap which allows these products to not have to comply with the traffic light system. This indicates whether they contain ‘high’ or’medium” calories, fats, sugars, and salt.
Image: This graph shows the proportion of overweight and obese children who attend Year 6 in England. One in three children leaves primary school overweight, and obesity-related illnesses cost the NHS around £6billion a year
Dr Kawther Hashem, of the charity, said: ‘It’s ludicrous that certain food companies are being allowed to promote their high sugar sweet snacks to parents with very young children, despite them being aware that babies and toddlers shouldn’t be having any free sugars.
Although babies can be influenced by milk’s sweetness, their preference for sugary foods may not develop until they try sugary foods.
“Some companies encourage that preference by offering lots of sweet products to children as young kids.
“What is needed are companies that make sugar-free products so children grow up eating less sweet food.”
Graham MacGregor of Queen Mary University, an expert on cardiology and chair for Action on Sugar said sugar consumption is synonymous with consuming too many calories.
He said: ‘If we don’t use those calories as fuel, our body will store them as fat.
‘This can lead to weight gain, and if this happens to our children, it’s likely they will carry the weight into their adolescent and adult years, potentially leading to overweight or obesity, as well as suffering from agonising tooth decay.
“It’s imperative that food manufacturers act responsibly to reduce sugar, salt, and calories and not force unhealthy products on well-meaning parents with misleading nutritional claims.
WHAT SHOULD A BALANCED DIET LOOK LIKE?
The NHS recommends that meals be made from potatoes, bread, rice and pasta, with a minimum of wholegrain.
• Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. You can count all fresh, canned, dried, and frozen vegetables.
• Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally wholegrain
• 30 grams of fibre a day: This is the same as eating all of the following: 5 portions of fruit and vegetables, 2 whole-wheat cereal biscuits, 2 thick slices of wholemeal bread and large baked potato with the skin on
• Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks) choosing lower fat and lower sugar options
• Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 portions of fish every week, one of which should be oily)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consuming in small amounts
• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water a day
• Adults should have less than 6g of salt and 20g of saturated fat for women or 30g for men a day
Source: NHS Eatwell Guide