Kellogg’s has reduced the sugar content in three kids’ cereal bars… but how healthy are they compared to 11 other lunchbox favourites?

KELLOGG’S has reduced the sugar content of three popular children’s snacks in a bid to make lunchbox treats healthier.

The food giant has cut sugar in Coco Pops bars by 24 per cent, from 42g per 100g to 32g, reports The Grocer.

It also trimmed sugar in Frosties and Rice Krispies bars by 19 per cent, from 40g to 32.5g.

This means a standard 20g Coco Pops bar now has 6.6g of sugar, a 25g Frosties bar has 6.5g and a 20g Rice Krispies bar has 5.8g.

Kellogg’s has also added vitamin D to snacks and ramped up the fibre content as many children’s diets fall below recommended levels, according to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

Dr Alexa Hoyland, Kellogg’s senior UK nutrition manager, commented: “We know parents want to give their children tasty snacks that are better nutritionally.

“That’s why we are reducing sugar and increasing the fibre whilst keeping the great taste of these bars.”

But how healthy are these cereal bars compared to other lunchbox favourites?

The NHS states that children should have no more than 19g of sugar a day when aged between four to six years old, and no more than 24g of sugar a day for children aged seven to 10 years old.

A teaspoon roughly equates to five grams of sugar.

If a five-year-old child ate three Coco Pops bars they would be close to hitting their daily allowance and consume nearly four teaspoons of sugar.

The Kellogg’s cereal bars now contain less sugar than popular chocolate and biscuit lunchbox snacks.

A McVitie’s Club Orange bar contains 8.9g of sugar, while a Nestle two-finger Kit Kat hits a staggering 10.6g – which is more than two teaspoons.

A 45g Cadbury’s Dairy Milk tipped the sweet scale with 25g of sugar – a whopping five teaspoons.

Nutritionist Rick Hay, also known as The Superfoodist, would advise parents to opt for the cereal bars over the chocolate snacks.

He told The Sun Online: “The Kellogg’s bars are better as the sugar content is much lower and therefore a healthier option.”

But he warned that both the cereal and chocolate bars should be seen as a treat, not a daily thing.

“I'm concerned that close to or more than the recommended daily intake of sugar is contained in these bars, if 100g were eaten,” he said.

“It's not good when we are getting our recommended level or more in one go.

"Anything that has over 15 percent sugar content should be consumed only as a treat and not as a daily staple.”

The Kellogg’s bars contain more sugar than McVitie’s Rich Tea Biscuits that have 1.7g of sugar per biscuit, which is less than half a teaspoon, and McVitie’s Chocolate Digestives that have 4.9g of sugar per biscuit.

Rick said these would be healthier options, but warned only in moderation.

A packet of crisps or popcorn is a popular savoury lunchbox treat – and can contain a lot less sugar than biscuits bars.

A bag of Walkers Ready Salted crisps have 0.1g of sugar, and Metcalfe’s Sweet ‘n Salt popcorn has 4.0g of sugar per 80g serving.

While lower in sugar, Rick warned these treats can be high in salt and fat.

Nutritionist Cassandra Barns told The Sun Online that fruit should be the go-to lunchbox snack.

“I would not recommend the Kellogg’s snacks for kids – or adults – apart from as an occasional treat. One bar still contains around a third of a child’s maximum daily allowance of sugar,” she said.

“A piece of fruit, apple slices spread with almond butter, or oatcakes topped with peanut butter and banana slices are some examples of better wholefood snacks for kids.

“There are still natural sugars in the fruit, but these are accompanied by fibre that slows down the release of the sugars, as well as natural vitamins, minerals and antioxidants”.

While fruit can be high in sugar, it is loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre.

Grapes have 15g of sugar per handful, a medium banana contains 14g, an apple has 15g and a cup of strawberries has 7g.

Rick warned that high levels of sugar can contribute to problems with a child’s dental health and should be eaten in moderation.

“The natural sugars in fruit is lower and comes with high levels of fibre which help to balance some of the negative effects - some natural fruit sugar is ok when it comes as part of the whole fruit - it helps with energy production and cognition,” he said.

Earlier this week, we reported how the NHS plans to shock parents into tackling their kids’ weight – by revealing how fat they will be as adults.

Experts have developed a tool which creates a 3D image of how tubby a child will become based on their current measurements.

Trials across England found the scare tactics work.