Snack bars with healthy-sounding names and pictures of fruit on packaging are tricking customers into thinking they contain real fruit, Choice says.
Parents should think twice before packing some snack bars into school lunchboxes with inaccurate packaging masking the sugary truth, consumer advocacy group Choice says.
A review of 224 cereal, muesli, nut, seed and raw snack bars found a number of products are loaded with added sugars but reference "natural" ingredients and display fruit on their packaging to apparently hoodwink buyers.
The review found Kellogg's Raspberry & Apple K-Time Twists contain just four per cent raspberry juice concentrate and no raspberry whole fruit, while Aldi's Hillcrest Strawberry & Yoghurt Chewy Muesli Bars have strawberries on the packaging but include "flavoured fruit pieces" made of concentrates and additives.
At present, manufacturers can choose whether to list added sugars separate to natural sugars. Choice is pushing for added sugars to be listed on all nutritional panels and Health Star Ratings to be visible on products.
Of the 224 products reviewed, those with the highest Health Star Rating of five were Emma & Tom's Chia Bar Cacao, Emma & Tom's Chia Bar Cinnamon and Soma Bite Goji & Chia.
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