FOOD giant Nestlé’s new KitKat breakfast cereal has come under attack from health experts.
Ten groups have branded the firm “irresponsible” over the chocolate and wafer squares.
AlamyHealth experts have branded Nestlé ‘irresponsible’ and claims Nestlé has made ‘misleading nutritional claims’ about the cereal[/caption]
Diabetes UK, the British Dental Association and British Heart Foundation are among them.
They claim Nestlé has made “misleading nutritional claims” about the cereal, which comes in 330g boxes at £3.50 a go.
In a letter to The Times, they accuse the Swiss firm of talking up its commitment to selling healthier food while privately developing “new ways to sell us sugar”.
Nestlé said the cereal — which has 420 calories, 24.7g of sugar and 10.9g of fat per 100g — was a source of five vitamins, calcium and iron.
It said: “Nestlé has repeatedly said in public that it is committed to selling healthier food, yet in private it continues to research and develop new ways to sell us sugar, before spending millions on advertising and promoting products in exciting packaging.
“It should not take a consumer backlash to get irresponsible companies to act.
“The case for government intervention is clear.”
A Department of Health spokesman said: “Thanks to our sugar reduction programme, we have delivered dramatic reductions in the amount of sugar in foods eaten by children — including a 14.9 per cent decrease in the sugar content of breakfast cereals.”