THEY are advertised as a faster and convenient alternative to breakfast – especially for those in a rush in the morning.

But Kent trading standards chiefs say breakfast bars are not nearly as healthy as they seem and are packed with sugar and fats.

Trading standards analysed a selection of bars bought from different manufacturers to assess their nutritional value, comparing them to a standard breakfast of cereal or eggs on toast.

Tests on the 21 products showed that most were high in fats and sugar and a quarter contained chocolate.

The sugar content ranged widely but in some cases represented 80 per cent of the bars energy content – according to trading standards, almost as much as some chocolate bars.

The average amount of fat was 20 per cent – much of it saturated – which amounts to one third of the recommended daily intake.

KCC trading standards officer Derek Elliott, who conducted the tests, said: “These bars are often sold as a healthy alternative to breakfast but on our sample, we found a high level of sugar in them. Often people seem to eat these in addition to breakfast, so they need to be aware of what is in them.”

However, there was better news for those who prefer organic food. In a separate survey, KCC said most claims made by producers about organic products were valid.

Inspections at local farms, country markets and shops in Kent and the south east found that, on the whole, few were incorrectly or misleadingly labelled.

“Most were properly registered and the situation was a lot better than we thought it was,” said Mr Elliott.

* For more information, go to www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/kent