³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Many 'healthy' fruit snacks aimed at kids contain more sugar than sweets, according to a campaign group.

Action on Sugar looked at 94 products on sale in the UK and found almost nine out of ten were more sugary than jelly sweets like Haribo.

The campaign group said children could eat fresh fruit and vegetables instead.

But the food industry said many fruit snacks did not contain extra added sugar - only the sugar that was naturally in the fruit.

Eating too much sugar can mean you put on weight; but it can also rot your teeth.

Katharine Jenner from Action on Sugar said: "Whole, unprocessed fruit is healthier than processed fruit snacks and fruit juice drinks, as it contains vitamins, minerals, water and fibre, and does not cause the devastating tooth decay we see in young children today."

A child would have to eat an entire pack of fresh strawberries to take in the same amount of sugar as in some processed fruit snacks.

Colin Michie, an expert in kids' health from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said that in some snacks, "the benefits of fruit have been sacrificed by covering them in yogurt and other sugary coatings".

But Barbara Gallani from the Food and Drink Federation which represents food producers, said: "Dried and pureed fruit and vegetables count as part of your 'five-a-day' under government guidance, alongside fresh, tinned and frozen."

She also pointed out that the sugar content of fruit snacks "is clearly listed on the pack".