Health claims on children's food 'are confusing', study finds

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Nearly half of foods and drinks marketed at UK children are less healthy than they claim, a study found.

Health and nutrition messages on fruit-based snacks, juices, yoghurts, cereals and ready meals are ‘confusing’ or misleading parents.

Three quarters of those which claimed to contain ‘one of five a day’ fruit and vegetables did not contain the recommended portion size of 80g.

Nearly a quarter of the products – most of which were fruit-based drinks and snacks, made ‘no added sugars’ claims.

But half had concentrated juice or fruit puree as the added ingredients – which are now classed as ‘free sugars’.

Experts warned a ‘health halo effect’ was creating a false impression of some foods which could be fuelling the childhood obesity crisis.

Researchers from Glasgow University found that of 332 products tested from supermarkets, 41 per cent were less healthy than they claimed.

They studied products marketed at children using cartoons, toys and promotions as well as those which made health claims such as being one of your five-a-day.

Cereal bars had the highest energy and saturated fat content, while cereals contained the most salt.

Nutritional profiling tests found a large proportion of yogurts were less healthy than claimed because of their high saturated fat and low fibre content.