Children’s yoghurts have continued to contain “substantial levels of unnecessary sugars”, new research from Action on Salt & Sugar has found.
The research, based at Queen Mary University of London, found average sugars of 8.2g per 100g with levels ranging from 4.7g to 14.1g per 100g.
It surveyed 104 children’s yoghurts, revealing Nestlé Smarties Vanilla Split Pot yoghurt contained the most amount of total sugars at 14.1g per 100g with nearly four teaspoons of sugars per serve (15.1g).
The lowest were The Collective Great Dairy Natural + Vitamin D and Yoplait Petits Filous No Added Sugar Strawberry & Banana, both of which contained 4.7g per 100g.
Action on Salt & Sugar warned that using the estimate that 3.8g per 100g of total sugars are naturally occurring from milk, much of the sugars in children’s yoghurts come from free sugars.
Based on this approach, it is estimated that one in five products would provide 25% or more of the free sugars limit recommended for a child aged four to six years, in a suggested serve.
At the same time, only two products were low in total sugars, equivalent to only one in 40 children’s yoghurts.
Among the yoghurts surveyed, Nestlé products had the highest average total sugars content per 100g at 10.7g, followed by Lidl at 9.4g and Aldi at 9.0g.
Sainsbury’s products had the lowest average at 6.2g, followed by Yeo Valley at 6.8g.
“Yoghurt can be a valuable source of nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D to children’s diets, but these should not come with unnecessary amounts of free sugars,” said Dr Kawther Hashem, head of research & impact at Action on Salt & Sugar. “Parents should not have to choose between providing nutritious foods and avoiding excessive sugar in products specifically marketed for children.”
The findings come despite progress made under the government’s voluntary sugar reduction programme, in which yoghurts reduced sugars by 13.5% between 2015 and 2020, falling short of the 20% reduction target.
The campaign group said progress had since been slow and inconsistent across the sector, which showed the limitations of relying on voluntary industry action alone.
But some manufacturers have demonstrated that significant reduction is achievable. Across all children’s yoghurts surveyed, average total sugars fell from 9.2g per 100g in 2021 to 8.2g in 2026 – a reduction of 11%.
The Collective recorded the largest improvements, dropping from 9.1g in 2021 to 6.3g in 2026, a reduction of 32%.
Action on Salt & Sugar has called for child-appealing packaging with features such as cartoons, bright colours and familiar characters to be limited to healthier products.
It also urged the government to introduce mandatory reformulation policies, transparent reporting and meaningful enforcement across the food industry.
“Parents could reasonably expect products covered in cartoons and specifically marketed to children to be among the healthier options available, but our findings show that is often not the case,” Hashem added. “Government must introduce stronger measures to ensure all companies reduce sugar levels, and that child-appealing packaging are reserved for the best products out there.”
The findings coincide with Recipe for Change’s Citizens’ Charter which has called on ministers to make healthier food more affordable and accessible. The Charter will present signatures to MPs at Downing Street this autumn.
“We offer a variety of products to suit different tastes and occasions, from indulgent dessert options containing confectionery, like Nestlé Smarties Vanilla, to non-HFSS options that provide a source of Calcium and Vitamin D, like the whole Munch Bunch range,” said a spokesperson for Nestlé. “We’re always looking for ways to improve the nutritional profile of our products through ongoing innovation and gradual reformulation. So far, we’ve reduced sugar by more than 20% across our portfolio and removed calories, while ensuring consumers can continue to enjoy our products.”
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