A RESEARCH team has unveiled its findings of the ‘most unhealthy’ seasonal snacks, as we approach Halloween.

With the spooky season nearly upon us, the research team at price monitoring website PriceListo.com analysed the sugar content of 50 popular Halloween treats.

According to the data, Nerds are crowned as the unhealthiest Halloween sweets. The study reveals that the popular sweet choice contains a staggering 91 grams of sugar per 100g. The average box of Nerds, which tends to be just over 140g, contains over three times the usual recommended daily sugar intake of 30g.

The research also found the average Halloween sweets contain 53.53g of sugar per 100g, meaning that the sugar content of Nerds exceeds the average amount by almost 70 per cent. While the candy ranked fairly low in terms of calories, containing 374 calories per 100g.

A PriceListo.com spokesperson said: “While Halloween is undeniably a time to kick back and indulge in some familiar favorite treats, it’s still important to remain mindful of the sweets you’re choosing to consume. This research highlights just how much sugar is packed into some of the nation’s most popular treats.

“It’s staggering to see how much sugar some of these popular treats contain, with some brands in particular containing over double the recommended daily intake.

“While sugary treats can obviously be tempting over Halloween, it’s often a better choice to stick to chocolate. Chocolate tends to contain a higher number of calories, but will fill you up quicker, as opposed to sugary treats, which are both more bingeable and worse for your dental health.

“This autumn, it’s important to keep your dental health in mind when stocking up on Halloween snacks. While certain treats may initially appear ‘healthier’ due to containing a lower number of calories, they instead contain an excessive amount of sugar, causing damage to your teeth.”

Halloween staple, caramel apples, are another unhealthy Halloween sweet treat. According to the data, a caramel apple contains 73g of sugar per 100g, making it one of the most sugar-packed treats in the ranking. Although the study found that a caramel apple only contains 304 calories, the snack’s high sugar content may actually increase hunger levels.

Sour Patch Kids and Milky Way chocolate bars were both found to contain 63g of sugar per 100g, which is 2.1 times the recommended daily sugar intake.

Nestlé's Aero bubbly peppermint chocolate bars contain 59.3g of sugar, while Starbursts were found to contain 58g of sugar. Other treats that exceed the average sugar content include Rolos and M&M's crispy milk chocolate pieces.

The lowest sugar options were Twizzlers and Red Vines with the treats containing 45g of sugar per 100g. Ice cream was also found to contain less sugar than some of these popular Halloween treats. Reese’s Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Ice Cream only contains 20g of sugar per 100g. Similarly, Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough Ice Cream was also revealed to contain 25g of sugar per 100g.