MOST FORTIFIED foods on sale in Irish shops contain excessive amounts of sugar and low amounts of essential fibre, a survey has found.
While salt and fat levels in most of the fortified foods examined were acceptable, some products consisted of as much as 78 per cent sugar, according to the survey in Consumer Choice magazine.
The research concludes that the practice of fortifying food with vitamins, minerals and other micro-nutrients does seem justified but points out that the resulting better micro-nutritional intake is often achieved at the expense of a balance in major nutrient intake, such as fibre and sugar.
"Some foods currently on the market are not nutritionally up to scratch and adding nutrients is like applying a band-aid. It does not solve the problem's root cause," an accompanying commentary states.
Of the 30 products surveyed, 18 were low in fibre and 17 were high in sugar. The highest sugar levels were found in fortified drink powders, such as Nesquik chocolate powder (78 per cent), Ovaltine original (50 per cent) and Horlicks malted food drink (46 per cent).
Kellogg's Coco Pops were found to contain 34 per cent sugar and Kellogg's Bran Flakes 22 per cent sugar. Coco Pops, despite being a breakfast cereal, were also found to have just 2 grams of fibre per 100 grams. In contrast, more than 90 per cent of the products surveyed had a medium or low fat content and 83 per cent had a medium or low salt content.
The most commonly added nutrients were B vitamins, folic acid and iron. Consumer Choice, which is published by the Consumers' Association of Ireland, says the added nutrients do not seem to be directly targeting deficiencies.
Kellogg's defended the contents of its breakfast products. "We sell over 50 different cereals with a wide range of sugar and fibre levels. Those with the higher sugar levels are generally aimed at children who wouldn't otherwise eat breakfast," said Jenny Walton, a nutritionist with Kellogg's.
She said breakfast was vital because it was the meal which tended to provide the most vitamins and minerals. Kellogg's fortified food only when it could demonstrate a population need for the micro-nutrients involved.
Sugar consumption has been liked to type 2 diabetes, tooth decay and obesity. However, Ms Walton said there were no health issues arising from the sugar content of Kellogg's products. "Sugar in solid food is not associated with obesity because when you consume it you feel full."
