Parents are at risk of being misled by “manipulative marketing campaigns” and “crafty messaging” about children’s snacks according to a child health expert.
Dr Max Davie said that the levels of obesity show how crucial it was for parents to know what their child is eating. This comes after the University of Glasgow researchers examined the ‘healthy’ snacks sold in UK shops. They found that some snacks labelled as containing one portion of fruit or vegetable actually did not.
The team examined more than 300 products aimed at children including 41 different brands sold at seven major UK supermarkets between 2016 and 2017. Snacks with healthy messages on them such as fruit snacks, fruit drinks, cereal bars and cereals were included but excluded obviously unhealthy choices such as cakes and confectionery.
Researcher Dr Ada Garcia told the BBC: “At the moment some companies are using health messaging to make products more attractive to people, but they do not always live up to those claims.
“It is important parents don’t look at the claims in isolation but look at all the ingredients on the pack and judge the whole quality of the food.”
The report highlighted the number of concerns, one was the packaging of 80 claimed they contained no added sugar but more than 40 had concentrated fruit juice or fruit puree as added ingredients.
Dr Garcia added: “Some people will see processed fruits as a healthy alternative snack but the sugars in highly processed fruit and fruit juice are already broken down and so can be absorbed by the body more quickly.
“This means children may become hungrier more quickly and these free sugars also contribute to tooth damage and tooth decay.”
Dr Davie, of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “Given the UK’s rising levels of childhood obesity, is it essential that parents and children know precisely what is in the products they consume and are not misled by manipulative marketing campaigns.
“This study reveals concerning findings, particularly the disappointing levels of fruit and veg in products claiming to contain at least one portion of the government’s recommended five-a-day.
“It is clear that families are being influenced by surreptitious food packaging. We strongly support the researchers’ call for stricter regulations on composition and labelling.
“Alongside, there needs to be better education and advice available for parents so that they can see through crafty messaging and make their own decisions about what they consider to be healthy products for their families.”
