Branded cereal favourites can contain TWICE as much sugar as supermarket own versions

Family favourite cereals can be nearly 28 times saltier and twice as sugary as supermarket own-brand versions, analysis shows.

MailOnline compared the nutritional content of 10 of the biggest brands of cereals and their alternative options available at Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and ALDI.

Among the worst offenders was a serving of Kellogg’s Krave chocolate and hazelnut cereal, which was found to contain 0.28g of salt. For comparison, Tesco’s own version of the product contained less than 0.01g. 

Meanwhile, Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut chocolate clusters were packed full of 9.3of sugar per serving, compared to the 4.9g in ASDA’s option.

Both of the options are at least half the price of the branded version. 

However, some cheaper options contained just as much salt or sugar — with ALDI’s take on Krave containing 0.29g of salt. 

Nutritionists have long argued that lower salt and sugar versions of products prove that foods can be made in a healthier way. 

Britons are advised to eat no more than 30g of added sugar and 6g of salt each day. Eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain and tooth decay, while a salt-heavy diet can raise blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. 

The findings come amid a national obesity crisis, which worsened during the pandemic. One in three children in England are overweight or obese by the time they leave school, while three-quarters of over-45s are too big. 

The NHS spends more than £6billion per year treating obesity-related health problems and the cost is set to rocket to £9.7billion by 2050. 

Sonia Pombo, of Action on Salt, told MailOnline that some of the branded companies are ‘grossly irresponsible’ for making food with ‘unnecessarily high’ salt and sugar levels.

Food manufacturers have access to the same ingredients and all know sugar and salt harm health, so it is baffling that they ‘actively choose not to’ follow healthier recipes, she said. 

MailOnline analysed 10 cereals made by Kellogg’s, Nestle, Jordans and Weetabix and compared the sugar and salt content per 30g serving to the supermarket own-brand versions.

Kellogg’s Frosties were found to contain more salt (0.25g) and sugar (11g) than all of the supermarket alternatives. 

The same was also found for Nestle’s Multigrain Cheerios (0.25g salt and 5.3g sugar) and Nestle Cookie Crisp Cereal (0.2g salt and 7g sugar).

But the opposite was true for Weetabix (0.1g salt and 1.6g sugar), with all of the supermarket options having slightly more sugar (0.1g salt and 1.7g sugar). 

And Kellogg’s Coco Pops was one of the least sugary versions, containing 5.1g per serving, compared to 8.8g in the version from Waitrose.

Calorie content across the different cereals were almost identical per 30g serving, despite disparities in the sugar and salt content.

Ms Pombo told MailOnline: ‘These findings highlight how grossly irresponsible certain branded companies are, producing foods which are unnecessarily high in sugars and salt.

‘All manufacturers have the same ingredients available to them and know that sugar and salt are harmful to our health. 

‘The fact that other companies can produce healthier versions of the same food proves that it can be done, so why do they actively choose not to?

‘With one in three children leaving primary school with overweight or obesity, and the overall cost of obesity to wider society estimated at £27billion, our Government must step up and enforce mandated salt, sugar and calorie reduction targets now to ensure a level playing field across all relevant food categories.’

Dr Haya Al Khatib, a nutrition scientist and visiting research fellow at King’s College London, told MailOnline the findings are ‘a great example of why we need to move beyond fixating on calories’. 

She said: ‘The nutritional value of a food is far more complex than only its caloric value and we need to move beyond equating foods based only on the amount of energy the label on the back of the pack says they provide when we’re choosing what to eat. 

‘The effects of the calories different foods provide us can have vastly different effects on our biology, our long term health, and even how we feel throughout the day.

‘As far as possible, we need to focus on bringing a variety of whole plant foods onto our plate.’ 

Professor Gunter Kuhnle, an expert in nutrition and food science at the University of Reading, told MailOnline the differences in sugar content could mean Britons are eating a quarter of their daily sugar allowance at breakfast.

He noted that the sugar content in Frosties is almost double the level of Tesco and ASDA’s own versions of the product.

And the product equates to five per cent of daily calorie intake and includes ‘about 25 per cent of the daily sugar allowance for an adult’, Professor Kuhnle warned.

A spokesperson from Kellogg’s said its recipes are different from own-brand products and where some of its cereals could be ‘slightly higher in salt’ it may also be ‘much lower in sugar’ and fortified with vitamins and minerals. 

They added: ‘Although seemingly similar, they are different recipes which, in many cases, are also made in different ways. They are not necessarily comparable.

‘Many of our cereals, including Coco Pops, Special K Original, Rice Krispies and Corn Flakes are classed as non-high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) using the government’s own nutrition standards.’

A Nestlé spokesperson said it has removed 59million teaspoons of sugar and 3million teaspoons of salt from its products over the last decade, so nine in 10 of its products are not high in fat, salt or sugar. 

The company reduces sugar and salt content and increases the whole grain content regularly, they said. 

‘Both Multigrain Cheerios and Cookie Crisp are classified as non-high in fat, sugar and salt (non-HFSS) and have “amber” on pack labelling according to the UK Government’s Nutrient profiling model,’ they added. 

A Jordans spokesperson said its strawberry cereal would not be considered as high-sugar by regulators and it’s important ‘not to focus on one single nutrient’ when assessing food. 

They said: ‘Country Crisp cereal is made with wholegrain oats and is lower in saturated fats than some of the other products on the market. Since 2009 we have reduced the sugar in our cereals by 14 per cent and have launched a low sugar granola.’

Official figures show more than a third of adults in England are overweight and more than a quarter are obese.

And one in seven youngsters are obese by the time they start reception, compared to one in 10 before Covid struck.

And by the time they are in Year 6, the proportion who are obese jumps to one in four, up from one in five in 2019. 

The Prime Minister announced a crackdown on obesity in 2020 after a near-fatal bout of Covid which he attributed to being overweight. 

As part of the plan, new laws restricting offers on foods high in fat, sugar and salt are due to come into effect in medium and large shops in October. Junk food giants will also be banned from advertising online and before 9pm on TV by January 2023.

No10 is also planning to end ‘buy one, get one free’ promotions for unhealthy food and stop the products from being placed in prominent locations in shops, such as entrances and checkouts. 

And a rule came into effect last week requiring restaurants, cafes and takeaways with more than 250 staff to list calories on their menus.

And through the NHS, Britons can now get access to apps as well as free or discounted membership to gyms and programmes such as Weight Watchers to help them shed weight.

But there are concerns Mr Johnson may dilute or drop some of these plans to appease Tory MPs who oppose nanny-state interventions.