A survey by the European commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) found that food companies are still not doing enough to reduce their unhealthy ingredients.
The JRC results were based on scientists evaluating the nutritional composition of 2,691 products across five categories including breakfast cereals, ready meals, processed meat, processed seafood and yogurts.
Between half and two-thirds of the products analysed were deemed ineligible for children due to the unhealthy ingredients.
Andy Coyne, food correspondent at GlobalData, said: “Issues such as child obesity and the increasing number of people suffering from diseases such as diabetes have brought the make-up of food products onto the front pages of newspapers and this is not something that is going to go away.
“The survey found up to two-thirds of packaged food products frequently sold in the European Union contain too much sugar, salt and fat and not enough fibre and that's bad news for those who favour 'light touch' regulation or even self-regulation.”
According to GlobalData’s 2018 Q3 consumer survey 83% of parents are influenced by how a product impacts in the health and wellbeing of their children.
Coyne concluded: “Food manufacturers need to be aware that if they don't create healthier products willingly then they are likely to have restrictions imposed upon them.”