Health campaigners have released findings of higher concentrations of sugar in so-called ‘healthy’ snacks than in a bag of Haribo. 

Researchers from Action on Sugar claimed that 80 out of 94 fruit snack products surveyed contained more than 47g sugar per 100g with some containing as much as four teaspoons of sugar.

They argued that highlighting the products as containing fruit despite having high levels of sugar was misleading parents as to the true credentials of the food.

Products pointed out included Tesco’s Yogurt Coated Strawberry Fruit Bites, containing 17.5g/4.4tsp of sugar in a 25g bag. A bag of Haribo Starmix contains just 47g of sugar per 100g.

Bread was dragged into the debate as a food possessing ‘hidden’ sugar in wider reporting around Action on Sugar’s report.

Action on Sugar is lobbying the government and the food industry to improve diets and the nation’s health by cutting the amount of sugar in food.

Tesco recently became the first supermarket to commit to what the group called “a major sugar reduction programme”, pledging to remove added sugar from drinks in their kids range.