By Fiona Macrae
Spoonful: A Which? investigation decided that most children's breakfast cereals provided 'poor nutrition'
Many children's breakfast cereals contain more sugar than a doughnut while others are saltier than crisps, research shows.
At least seven of the most popular breakfast brands were found to be laden with more sugar than a doughnut bought in Tesco.
One of the worst offenders was Kellogg's Frosties with 11.1g of sugar in a 30g serving - almost three teaspoons per small bowl.
In contrast the doughnut, which many would perceive as being less healthy, had just 8.6g of sugar, an investigation for Channel 4's Dispatches found.
High levels are also found in Nestle Cookie Crisp, 'the chocolatey cookie crisp cereal that children love'. It has 10.59g of sugar per 30g serving.
Nestle's Nesquik, billed as 'irresistible for kids', and the firm's Honey Cheerios also have more than two 4g teaspoons of sugar per bowl. So do Sugar Puffs and Kellogg's Coco Pops and Honey Loops.
The figures are for the cereal only, before any more sugar or milk is added at home.
Other cereals do badly in the salt stakes with a 30g bowl of Kellogg's Corn Flakes containing more than a bag of Walker's ready-salted crisps.
Earlier this year, an investigation by consumer watchdog Which? concluded that the vast majority of children's breakfast cereals offer 'poor nutrition'.
The data will horrify millions of parents who give their children cereal for breakfast, believing it is the healthiest way to start the day.
It also suggests that even seemingly healthy foods are fuelling the obesity crisis.
Despite many parents failing to recognise their children have a weight problem, a third of youngsters are too heavy for their height.
If the trend continues, two-thirds will be overweight or obese by 2050, putting them at risk of a host of conditions including diabetes, heart disease, infertility and some cancers.
Professor Philip James, chairman of the International Obesity Task Force, told Dispatches: 'The level of childhood obesity is quite astonishing in the UK. We have one of the worst rates in Europe.
'And it really is quite atrocious that we have now developed a society that expects to shovel sugar into children when in fact no nutritionists would advocate that was good for them.'
Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.
The Breakfast Cereals Information Service, which represents manufacturers, said cereals are high in vitamins, minerals and fibre, low in fat and have numerous health benefits.
Adviser Dr Clare Leonard said the salt and sugar in cereals accounts for just 5 per cent of a person's daily intake. Dispatches: What's in Your Breakfast Cereal? is at 8pm tonight on Channel 4.
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