And too much sugar

Pesticide alarm in four out of 14 fruit mueslis

Consumer protectors tested fruit mueslis.

(Bild: thinkstockphotos.de)

Pesticides and a lot of hidden sugar - this is what the consumer protection experts of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor (AK) have to complain about after a fruit muesli test. 14 products from popular chain stores were put under the microscope. Pesticides were found in four of them, and just as many contained too much sugar in the opinion of the AK.

Five different pesticides were found in one package, while another contained a pesticide that is banned in the EU and potentially harmful to health. This was chlorfenapyr, which, according to the AK, has indications of carcinogenic and reprotoxic effects and is considered toxic to bees and very toxic to aquatic organisms. In all cases, however, the levels were well below the permitted limits. The organic mueslis were all pesticide-free.

Up to a third of the muesli is sugar
Another point of criticism concerned sugar, which accounted for a third of some of the mueslis tested. Even if the sweetness comes from the dried fruit: "For the body, however, sugar remains sugar", criticize the consumer advocates. With the four most sugary products in the test, an adult with a 50-gram portion had already consumed more than half the daily amount of sugar classified by the WHO as harmless to health.

The price of the mueslis ranged from 1.23 to 6.70 euros for 500 grams. The good news is that the price was not an indicator of the number of pesticides found in the test, according to the consumer advocates.