Watchdog blasts kids' snacks
link between high-sugar, high-fat snacks and childhood obesity -
naming and shaming well-known brands from large companies such as
Nestlé and Kelloggs in the process.
The Australian organisation's Foods That Make Kids Fatter report selected ten brands it felt were aimed at children and contributed to an energy intake in excess of the recommended daily limit for kids.
The document is likely to dent sales in a sector which has already seen health concerns damaging long-established kids brands. In the report, Choice lists its top ten worst offenders and states: "Plenty of everyday products from the supermarket can be just as fattening as fast food. Often they're aimed at kids, and even promoted as healthy."
Nestlé's Milo cereal made the list with Choice emphasising its high levels of fat per serving and relatively low levels of fibre and also in the firing line is Kellogg's well-established Nutri-Grain bars which, according to the watchdog, are high in saturated fat and sugar with minimal nutritional benefit.
Choice also advise consumers to stay away from Ferrero-branded spread Nutella which it claims is "loaded with fat and sugar" and has only a 13 per cent nut content.
The report concludes by warning parents: "We all know fast foods should only be an occasional treat (or a last resort for desperate parents) but the supermarket shelves are also loaded with products that'll really pack on the kilos if your kids have too many of them too often."
