Government targets to cut the sugar in common foods have failed spectacularly – with puddings getting sweeter and no change at all in chocolates or biscuits, new figures show.

Ministers pledged to slash levels in a vast range of products by 20 per cent by 2020, under the Government’s 2016 childhood obesity strategy.

But the first official assessment of progress shows that almost seven in 10 of the most popular brands have shown no change in their sugar content – or have even seen it increase.

Across the board, sugar content has fallen by just two per cent against a target of five per cent in the first year.

And the least change has been made in some of the most sugary products, the figures from Public Health England (PHE) show.

Manufacturers were told to shrink their products, change their recipe or boost sales of healthier options to meet the key pledge.

Instead, the majority have either done nothing or made their offerings even sweeter.

Of the top 20 brands responsible for the most sugar sales, 56 per cent saw no change in their content and 12 per cent added more.

Just 33 per cent cut the amount in their products.