UK cereal firm Kellogg and food giant Mars Inc have defended themselves against a Which? report that has criticised the content of cereal bars made by the companies.

A number of UK cereal bar manufacturers have come under fire from consumer group Which? in a report that tested cereal bars from manufacturers including Kellogg, Mars and Honey Monster Foods.

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The report found all but one of the 30 bars it analysed were high in sugar, with more than half containing over 30% sugar, it noted.

In a statement, Kellogg said it was “confused” as to why anyone would call a Nutri-grain Elevenses snack a cereal bar.

“If you’ve eaten one you know it’s not. It’s a baked bar and looks and eats much more like a muffin or cake. We bake it like a cake and market it as a mid-morning snack. In fact compared to other similar mid morning snacks, it’s one of the choices that has slightly less sugar than the norm.”

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The report highlighted Kellogg’s Nutrigrain Elevensies as containing nearly four teaspoons’ worth of sugar (18g), more than was found in a small 150ml can of cola (15.9g) and 20% of the recommended daily allowance.

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Similarly, Mars also defended its Tracker Roasted Nut bar. Which? had claimed a third of the bar was “fat”. However, Mars claimed there were “inaccuracies” in the report.

“Tracker bars do not contain hydrogenated fat and haven’t since the end of 2011,” a spokesperson said. “Tracker has a 31-week shelf-life, so it is possible that the Which? researcher bought and did their research on a product manufactured before the end of 2011, but those manufactured today are hydrogenated fat free.

“Although Tracker Roasted Nut does deliver nutritional benefits, and we make a nutritional claim about the product as a source of fibre, we do not make health claims.”