health campaigners today called for the government to scrap the Responsibility Deal, after a new report claimed to have uncovered “shocking” increases in the amount of sugar in breakfast cereals, despite some successful industry reformulation efforts.
Action on Sugar released a follow up to the 2012 Which? Breakfast Cereal Report, which revealed high amounts of sugars in 50 breakfast cereals. The new report, three years on, which surveyed the same 50 products, revealed that while there had been “notable achievement” by some retailers and suppliers, some products contained even more sugar than in 2012.
The largest reductions in sugar included Aldi’s Harvest Morn Crunchy Honey Nut Corn Flakes, which had seen a 19% reduction from 34.4g to 28.0g/100g and Honey Monster Puffs (previously Sugar Puffs), with a 17% reduction from 35.0g to 29.0g/100g. On the other hand, the report listed Aldi’s Harvest Morn Choco Rice (39g/100g), which had seen an 18% increase since 2012 as well as Morrisons Honey & Nut Corn Flakes (36.3g/100g) and Sainsbury’s Honey Nut Corn Flakes (36.3g/100g), which had both seen 8% increases since 2012. Kellogg’s Frosties (37g/100g), had remained unchanged,
The report found 14 out of the 50 cereals contained the equivalent of eight teaspoons per 100g, with one 30g bowl of Aldi’s Harvest Morn Choco Rice containing almost half of the 25g maximum adult daily intake of sugar, and the equivalent of more than seven Cadbury’s Fingers.
“One of the greatest failures in tackling Britain’s obesity epidemic is the government’s appeasement of the food industry; we cannot allow this to go on any longer,” said Graham MacGregor, chairman of Action on Sugar. “The so-called ‘Responsibility Deal’… has clearly failed. It’s time for it to be scrapped.”
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