Chocolate Spreads are loaded with sugar

Published Apr 13, 2017

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You might want to spread your Nutella more thinly after finding out how much sugar it contains.

Some toast-toppers contain as much as 57 teaspoons of sugar in a single jar, researchers have warned.

The amount of sugar on two slices of bread can add up to 24 g or six teaspoons – the recommended daily maximum for a child aged seven to ten.

The figures come from a survey of 272 chocolate spreads, jams and marmalades by the campaign group Action on Sugar in the UK.

Leading brand Nutella Ferrero Hazelnut Spread with Cocoa contains 11,8g per 20g serving.

More than two-thirds of the 37 other chocolate spreads surveyed also contained over 10 g of sugar per 20 g serving.

Public Health England has called on manufacturers of processed foods to change their recipes and cut sugar levels by an average of 20 per cent in an effort to tackle obesity, particularly among children.

British campaigners complained there is four times more sugar than hazelnuts in several products that are marketed as ‘hazelnut spread'.

Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Queen Mary University of London, said this sort of labeling is deceptive. 

The chairman of Action on Sugar says: “Companies that make these "sugar spreads", and specifically market them misleadingly as something else to children, should consider their ethical and corporate responsibility.”

*Daily Mail

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