The worst breakfast cereals for sugar, salt and fat content were named and shamed by obesity campaigners today.

The Consumers' Association, after looking at 100 brands widely available in supermarkets, found that salt content in some was four times higher than a bag of peanuts.

It found that 85 brands with "a lot" of sugar, nine products with "a lot" of saturated fat and 13 with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil or fat in the ingredients.

Twenty-eight of the 100 cereals in the survey are marketed at children and the association found nine of these were 40 per cent sugar or more and 18 contained "a lot" of salt.

The worst offenders for children were: Nestlé Lion cereal, Kellogg's Frosties Turbos, and Nestlé Cookie Crisp.

For adults, Kellogg's Crispix and Crunch Nut were singled out for their high proportions of salt, sugar and fat. All-Bran was crtiticised for its salt content.

Lack of time in the morning has led to a growth in the popularity of cereal bars which can be eaten on the move.

The Consumers' Association found many bars contain high amounts of saturated fat and all the 11 tested provided less energy and fibre than an equivalent bowl of cereal.

The breakfast cereal survey is the second stage of a campaign by the Consumers' Association to tackle what it considers to be "inertia" by the Government and the food industry over the nation's deteriorating diets.

Nick Stace, director of communications at the association, said: "Breakfast cereals have a healthy image, yet our research shows that big brand manufacturers are lacing their cereals with such high levels of sugar and salt that it is no wonder that we have a public health crisis on our hands."

The Consumers' Association backs the idea of a traffic light labelling system, allowing consumers to see at a glance whether products contain good or bad levels of sugar, salt and fat.

Martin Paterson, deputy director general of the Food and Drink Federation, said: "In May 2003, the Food and Drink Federation announced an industry-wide programme to reduce salt - or more precisely sodium - for breakfast cereals.

Times recommends

• Live chat: Thrifty ways to update your winter wardrobe
• Is anybody out there really listening?
• Nutrition Q&A: Will eating late make me fat?