WHAT'S THE STORY WITH HIGH-SUGAR BREAKFAST CEREALS?:THE UK'S long-running sugar wars were reignited towards the end of last month when the almost universally respected consumer magazine Which? published one of its infrequent reports into the state of the breakfast cereal market and again found most of the big name brands wanting.

The report, titled “Going Against the Grain”, found the sugar levels in many cereals reviewed to be “shockingly high”, and it described as “particularly worrying” the fact that so many high-sugar cereals were still being marketed to children. It said a number of adult cereals, including Special K and Bran Flakes, are dressed up as healthy alternatives but actually contain more sugar than a bowl of chocolate fudge ice-cream, which is quite a distance from how the svelte, wholesome characters in the advertising campaigns represent them.

The manufacturers, who are no strangers to such charges, had their responses ready in a heartbeat. The consumer body’s study was effectively rubbished as the big brands pushed the line that their breakfast cereals were wholesome and entirely unconnected to the growing levels of childhood and adult obesity in Britain.

The message that the cereal makers vehemently made was that breakfast was an essential element of keeping weight under control and that even the most sugary of breakfasts could play a part in combating the growing obesity epidemic.

While the manufacturers had no time for the Which?survey, to the independent observer it seems pretty comprehensive and pretty conclusive. Which?surveyed 100 cereals and, although it reported average salt levels falling, just eight qualified for a Food Standards Agency "green light" for low levels of sugar, while 31 had over four teaspoons of sugar per recommended serving. Kellogg's Coco Pops Moons and Stars, Frosties and Ricicles came in for particular criticism, Which?reporting that they were over one-third sugar.

In fairness to Kellogg’s, it hardly goes out of the way to disguise from the buying public the sugar content of products such as Coco Pops Moons and Stars, but the same cannot be said about the brands it consciously markets as healthy alternatives.

WELL-KNOWN BRANDS including All Bran, Bran Flakes and Special K came in for special criticism from Which?, with the latter said to have "almost the sugar equivalent" to waking up to a serving of a dark chocolate fudge cake ice cream.

"Breakfast is important, and some cereals deserve their healthy image, but most simply don't," said Sue Davies, chief policy adviser at Which?. "It's especially shocking that almost all those targeted at children are less healthy. With such little choice, it's a daily struggle for consumers." She said that cereal makers need "to wake up to the fact that people want to eat healthily and provide them with the means to do so by reducing sugar and salt levels and making labelling clearer." Which? said all manufacturers needed to dispense with the Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) in favour of the traffic light system, which would clearly label many breakfast cereals in the red zone for sugar.

Whatever about red lights, the report was like a red rag to the cereal makers, who were extremely bullish when made aware of its contents. Leading the charge was Kellogg’s. When contacted by Pricewatch, a spokeswoman delivered what sounded very much like well-practiced arguments.

Breakfast cereals with milk have less sugar than a slice of buttered toast and jam or a cup of sweetened tea or coffee, Louise Sullivan of Kellogg’s Ireland said. “Whilst this [study] grabs headlines and sells magazines, it shouldn’t be confused with sound scientific research that consistently shows that people who eat breakfast cereals, regardless of sugar content, are slimmer than those who don’t. One in five of us skip breakfast so cereals should be seen as part of the solution and not the cause of the obesity epidemic we now face,” she continued.

She said there was no public health evidence in Ireland or elsewhere “to suggest that the sugar in our products is damaging to health” and said that “very clear and compelling evidence” showed that people who eat breakfast cereals, even sugary ones, were “slimmer than those who don’t”.

“To say that sugars in the diet cause obesity is false and misleading; the scientific community are crystal clear on that fact that sugar in foods such as breakfast cereals do not contribute to weight gain. Those people who eat breakfast cereals, including pre-sweetened breakfast cereals, on a regular basis are slimmer than those that don’t.”

WITH THE TWO groups coming at the research from such contrasting positions, neutral voices might help establish the facts. Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan of Safefood offers a more considered view. "What Which?is saying is technically true, and we have no reason to disbelieve it, but what Kellogg's is saying about the need to eat breakfast is also true. What we would say, however, is that people should vary the cereals that they eat and look at the cereals which are acceptable to their individual circumstances."

She says that, while porridge is ideal, “not everyone likes it” and suggests people should have up to four different cereals with differing levels of sugar in their cupboards which they could vary throughout the week.

Nuala Collins is well-respected nutritionist who tends to support the Which?position. "It is not an homogenous group and there is a wide range of alternatives out there," she says. "Obviously, cereals which are high in sugar are not to be recommended." She says there "is a great deal of annoyance" among consumers that some breakfast cereals which are perceived as being healthy are actually very high in sugar or in salt. "People who want to do the right thing simply can't unless they read the labels very closely."

While Collins says that the Kellogg’s Foundation does a great deal of well-regarded research which is backed up by sound scientific evidence, and is certainly right in its assertion that people who eat breakfasts are considerably more healthy that those who skip it, she says it can’t be any old breakfast.

“Breakfast is king but it has to be a healthy breakfast, and it is certainly not a good idea to eat a lot of cereals which are high in salt or sugar.” That is not to say that sugary cereals should never be eaten, she says, but that they should be consumed in moderation. She echoes Foley-Nolan’s advice that “families should have a mixture of cereals in the cupboards, but I would always advise people to look towards porridge – even if they have to dress it up with fruit or honey to make it more attractive to children. It really is one of the healthiest breakfast cereals you can find and it is a natural superfood.”