Supermarkets have been accused of featuring too many promotions for fatty or sugary foods.

The National Consumer Council (NCC) went into the eight major chains and found that more than half of promotions were for unhealthy foods.

The NCC visited eight stores in Sheffield - Asda, Co-op, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco and Waitrose - to assess how they were encouraging their customers to eat healthily. But the levels of promotions on unhealthy products had doubled since 2006.

Only 12 per cent of the promotions were for fruit and vegetables, whereas the NCC recommends a level of 33 per cent.

Morrisons came out the worst culprit, with 63 per cent of its promotions featuring sugary and fatty foods, compared to 39 per cent in 2006.

The council said the increase showed how far supermarkets would go to attract customers during the credit crunch.

Lucy Yates, who compiled the NCC report, said: “The volume of in-house promotions for fatty and sugary foods the supermarkets are all offering is staggering.

“We expected to see evidence of big improvements since our last investigation, but we've been sadly disappointed. With so many of us buying our food in these supermarkets, their collective behaviour can heavily influence the nation's eating habits. Despite their claims, the supermarkets all still have a long way to go to help customers choose and enjoy a healthier diet.”

But the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said the survey, which was carried out in March, uses “misleading comparisons” based on a “one-off snapshot of promotions”.

The body claims the NCC has ignored the fact that promotions are balanced across the year. Fruit and vegetables are promoted all year but more heavily in spring and summer when supplies are more plentiful, while ‘treat’ food promotions are more common at Easter and Christmas, said the BRC.

Andrew Opie, BRC food director, said: “The NCC's one-off March snapshot is misleading. Customers will have seen for themselves the current high-profile supermarket price war centred on fruit and vegetables.

“Of course ‘treat’ foods are on offer at Easter. What matters is the balance of promotions across the year. The NCC would find a different picture in summer.”

But the NCC said Easter promotions had been left out of its report.

Opie said: “This ill-informed report will not distract us from our work with the Food Standards Agency and department of health on tackling obesity, work for which UK retailers are recognised as European leaders.”

A spokesman for Morrisons told the BBC it has rejected the findings of this report, claiming it is out of date and a “largely subjective assessment which ignores the obvious focus we place on fresh food in all our stores”.

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