Revealed: The most fattening sweet snacks on supermarket shelves according to experts, including two you might assume are healthy

A comprehensive analysis of sweet supermarket snacks has found that some biscuits and mini cakes contain more than the full recommended daily sugar limit for Britons, and a quarter of our total calories.

Experts from campaign group Action On Sugar have examined the nutritional value of more than 600 popular products that many of us consume between meals.

They discovered that sugary, high-calorie snacks were “inevitable.” For example, almost a quarter of an adult woman’s daily allowance of 2,000 calories was packed into just two 40-gram cookies.

Three of the worst sweet treats were gluten-free products, which many consumers opt for under the assumption that foods without protein are healthier.

The campaigners said the findings are particularly worrying for children’s health, as these types of snacks are often given to young people as a snack between meals.

Nourhan Barakat, nutritionist at Action on Sugar at Queen Mary University, said: ‘A cake for dessert at school, a chocolate bar on the way home and a few biscuits after dinner can triple a child’s sugar intake to the daily limit.

‘If the sugar in these snacks were reduced by 20 percent, they would still be sweet, but almost 20 grams less sugar would be consumed.

“It’s time for food companies to prioritize children’s health and reduce sugar in everyday snacks.”

An extensive analysis of supermarket treats has found that some snacks consumed by children can contain the full recommended amount of sugar in one serving

Eating too much sugar, which is packed with energy, can contribute to potentially harmful weight gain, which in turn increases the risk of serious problems such as heart disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes.

The sweet stuff is also bad for oral health and can cause serious tooth decay and even tooth loss.

It is for these reasons that the NHS recommends adults eat no more than 30 grams of free sugars per day (roughly equivalent to seven teaspoons).

Children aged seven to ten should have no more than six teaspoons, while for younger children the recommendation is five.

Free sugar is the type of sweet that is added to food rather than bound in it. For example, the sugar in cakes, sweets, chocolate and some yoghurts.

The group felt the worst cake was Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Free From Gluten Blueberry Muffins.

One serving was found to contain 361 calories (about the same as two Krispy Kreme donuts) and seven teaspoons of sugar.

For chocolate bars, Ritter Sport’s White Whole Hazelnut bar came out worst, with 583 calories and a whopping 11 teaspoons of sugar per 100g pack.

Even if a child ate half a candy bar, they would still have used up at least 90 percent of their sugar allowance for the day.

From Aldi Specially selected Orkney Caramel Shortbread biscuits were the biscuit with the most sugar and calories, with 382 calories and five teaspoons of sugar in two biscuits.

If they were to consume all three during a day, for example the muffin at lunch, Ritter chocolate in the afternoon and shortbread after dinner, Action on Sugar said this would add up to a whopping 1,326 calories and 92.5 grams of sugar per day .

Coming in second for cakes were Genius Deliciously Gluten Free Double Chocolate Muffins with 349 calories and 25g of sugar.

For chocolate, it was Ritter Sport Dark Whole Hazelnuts, which contains 577 calories and 37g of sugar.

Two of Mrs Crimble’s gloriously gluten-free Big Jam coconut rings contain 342 calories and 34g of sugar.

Overall, the Action of Sugar audit, led by experts at Queen Mary University of London, found that 61 percent of cakes, 63 percent of chocolates and 44 percent of biscuits contained more than 10 grams of sugar per serving .

But the group discovered that there were healthier options available.

Eating too much sugar, which is packed with energy, can contribute to potentially harmful weight gain, which in turn increases the risk of serious problems such as heart disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes.

One combination of cakes, chocolate and biscuits a day would result in people consuming a total of just 182 calories and 18.4g (four and a half teaspoons) of sugar.

It would concern one Sainsbury’s Stamford Street Co. Raspberry & Vanilla Mini Roll, an Aldi Dairyfine Dreemy Bar and two Sainsbury’s Rich Tea Fingers.

This was about seven times fewer calories and contained five times less sugar than the most fattening combination.

The researchers said not enough is being done to steer UK consumers towards these lower sugar options.

Based on their analysis, Action on Sugar called on the government to impose a tax on sugary foods, similar to the tax imposed on soft drinks in 2018.

The Soft Drink Industry Levy added 24 pence per liter to the price of the most sugary drinks, while diet and sugar-free options were left unaffected.

It led to a number of brands reformulating their drinks and reducing the daily amount of sugar consumed by British children by almost 5 grams per day.

Dr. Kawther Hashem, head of research and impact at Action on Sugar, based in Queen Mary’s, said sugary foods were “inevitable” for most British children.

“We’re simply not doing enough to help children keep their sugar intake within recommended guidelines,” she said.

‘We have a duty to every child to make school a haven from unnecessary sugars so they can grow up healthier, stronger and free from the risks of diet-related disease.’

Responding to Action of Sugar’s research, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care stressed that the Government was committed to tackling the obesity crisis ‘head-on’.

“We have already made a strong start by restricting junk food advertising on TV and online and restricting schoolchildren’s access to fast food,” they said.

‘In addition, the Government is reviewing the Soft Drink Industry Levy to ensure it remains effective in tackling obesity and other harms caused by high sugar intake.’

Data published earlier this month showed that almost a third of children in parts of England are obese by the time they reach secondary school.

Nationally, the childhood obesity rate is over a fifth, down slightly from last year but still higher than before the pandemic.

Adults fare no better: around two in three in Britain are now obese or overweight.

Action in Sugar’s audit looked at 185 cakes, 92 chocolates and 360 biscuits sold in four UK supermarkets, Asda, Aldi, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, between April and June this year.

They assumed that products without a recommended serving size, such as Ritter Sport products, would be one serving and chocolate products that contain multiple bars but are sold as one serving would be single-serving chocolate bars.

Researchers also established serving sizes for cookies from two brands.