The sugar content of the majority of yogurts sold in the UK are “well above” recommended sugar levels, according to research conducted by online journal BMJ Open.

The study encompassed 900 yogurts sold in major UK retailers and factored in eight categories: Children’s, which included fromage frais; dairy alternatives; desserts; drinks; flavoured; fruit; natural/Greek; and organic.

According to the study, only natural and Greek yogurts fell below the advised 5g of sugar per 100g recommended by EU regulations, while the study found that organic varieties, often viewed as healthier options on average contain around 13.1g of sugar per 100g.

In fact, fewer than one-in-ten yogurts taking part in the study qualified as low sugar, and “almost none” of these found in the children’s category.

The report said: “While yogurt may be less of a concern than soft drinks and fruit juices, the chief sources of free sugars in both children and adults’ diets, what is worrisome is that yogurt, as a perceived ‘healthy food,’ may be an unrecognised source of free/added sugars in the diet.

“This is particularly true of the organic yogurts analysed, they say. “While the organic label refers to production, the well documented ‘health-halo effect’ means that consumers most often underestimate the caloric content and perceive the nutritional contents of organic products, including yogurts, more favourably.

“Not all yogurts are as healthy as perhaps consumers perceive them, and reformulation for the reduction of free sugars is warranted.”