Confectionery company Bon Bon Buddies is aiming to take kids' sweets down a healthier route, with the launch of a range of bars called Fruity Splitz.

The soft, chewy products, which are made with 65% fruit and are low in fat and salt, have only 42 calories in each 12g bar. They come in a variety of flavours featuring popular cartoon characters, which the company uses under licence.

Winnie the Pooh appears on an apple & raspberry combination, Scooby Doo adorns the fruit salad flavour, while Disney Princess makes her presence felt on a mango & passionfruit line. Meanwhile, one of the Bratz dolls feature on a mixed berry variant.

Bon Bon Buddies, which produces gums, chocolate, mallow, sugar confectionery and biscuits, has made ample use of the power of brands as a way of appealing to youngsters.

Besides the quartet on Fruity Splitz, the company has also featured the SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Noddy and Dr Who brands, among others, on its products.

But is has also been making moves to improve its products' health credentials in a bid to reassure parents. Activity has included adopting an honest packaging policy, which highlights clear labelling and healthy eating guidelines, to address concerns, such as obesity among children.

"We make every effort through innovation and improvement to develop healthier confectionery products for kids," said a spokeswoman. "Our aim is to continually challenge recipes to reduce fat, sugar and salt content in line with today's health guidelines."

Rolling out now and already listed by Asda, the Fruity Splitz range includes single countlines and boxes of six individually wrapped bars, with an rsp of £1.49 and 26p respectively. The company claims the 12g size makes the products perfect for lunchboxes and treats.