Choosing a healthy breakfast cerealSalt, sugar and fat in cereals

Salt content in cereals

46 of the cereals were over the government's salt targets for 2010

You might not associate salt with breakfast cereals, but eight products out of the 100 tested, got a red light for this. This is actually better than our 2006 test, when nearly a fifth were high in salt, so many reductions have been made. However, only 15 of the 100 received a green light.

Two cereals aimed at children had a high salt content: Kellogg’s Honey Loops and Kellogg’s Rice Krispies, as well as one from a supermarket ‘healthy’ range: Sainsbury's Be Good to Yourself Balance. Morrison's Honey Nut Corn Flakes have the same amount of salt per serving as a 50g portion of salted peanuts.

Salt targets for 2010

Just over half of the cereals met the government's salt targets for 2010 of 0.8g per 100g, but 46 are over this. 30 are already meeting the proposed 2012 salt targets of 0.68g per 100g.

Sugar in cereals

59 of the 100 cereals we looked at received a red light for sugar -  almost half of these were aimed at children. Morrisons Choco Crackles had the most, 38.4g per 100g. Only eight got a green traffic light for low sugar.

Added sugar and fruit sugar

We found 31 cereals with more than four teaspoons of sugar per portion and in 25 cases, this was purely down to added sugars rather than those from fruit.

A further 11 cereals appeared to be high in sugar, but we couldn't tell if the sugar was added or from fruit. Fruit sugars contain the same number of calories and can contribute towards tooth decay but also provide beneficial nutrients from the fruit.

More sugar than a jam doughnut

22 of the cereals aimed at children had more sugar per suggested serving than a jam doughnut. Some high-sugar cereals are ones you might think of as healthier options, such as Kellogg’s All-Bran, Kellogg’s Bran Flakes, and Kellogg’s Special K. Just three cereals had no added sugar - Nestlé Shredded Wheat, Grape-Nuts from Kraft and Nature’s Path Organic Millet Rice Oatbran Flakes.

Fat and saturated fat

None of the cereals were high in fat but four were high in saturates

None of the cereals were high in fat and the split between medium and low was roughly half and half.

However while most were also low in saturates, four got a red light for this nutrient, so it is worth checking the label. These were: Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Bites, Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Clusters Milk Chocolate Curls, Kellogg’s Crunchy Oatbakes and Mornflake Traditional Crunchy. These contain more saturates per serving than a Burger King hamburger.

Fat content from nuts

Some breakfast cereals have higher levels of fat because of their nut content. Nuts are rich in a wide range of nutrients and high in fibre, as well as being a good source of monounsaturated fats - but because of the fat content you should still watch how many you eat.

How cereals compare with other breakfast options

We looked at some other common breakfast options to see how they compare to the cereals.

• Two slices of wholemeal toast with a reduced fat spread and reduced sugar apricot jam provides half the sugar of the sweetest cereals, although the salt content from the bread is comparable to some of the saltier cereals per portion.
• A smoothie made with low fat natural yoghurt and a cup of strawberries makes a low-fat, low-salt breakfast with only natural sugars.
• A boiled egg and slice of toast gives just a fraction of the sugar provided by many cereals.

The table below shows how these options compare: