When most of us have a bowl of cereal, especially those that claim they are “healthy,” we never think about their sugar content, but the fact is that some cereals on the market has as much sugar as ice cream and as much salt as a packet of crisps.
Foodfacts.com has discovered some recent information that indicates only 8 percent of cereals are getting approved for their healthy sugar level content and some even some so-called healthy cereals failed to make the grade at all. For example, a person starting the day with a cereal that promotes weight loss, actually offers the same amount of sugar found in a some popular brands of Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Ice Cream!
Almost five percent of cereals recently tested contain a whopping four teaspoons plus of sugar per recommended serving and only one of the 28 cereals specifically marketed to children was found not to be high in sugar.
Among the worst offenders for high sugar levels were Kellogg’s Coco Pops Moons and Stars and Frosties, which were over a third pure sugar.
Although sugar levels remained high, positive changes could be seen with reductions in salt content. Despite this, 100g of some popular “flake” type cereals still contained the same amount of salt as 100g of popular brands of salted crisps.
Consumers also have to look out for confusing labeling and questionable health and nutrition claims, as some companies still promote a wholesome image for their brand, while failing to emphasize its sugar or salt content.
One nutritional and diet expert commented: “Breakfast is important and some cereals deserve their healthy image, but most simply don’t. It’s especially shocking that almost all those targeted at children are less healthy. With such little choice, it’s a daily struggle for consumers.
“Cereal manufacturers need to wake up to the fact that people want to eat healthily and provide them with the means to do so by reducing sugar and salt levels and making labelling clearer. With huge amounts of money spent on cereals every year, it’s time they rose to the occasion.”
Along with sugar and salt content, you also have to be aware of the amount of fat and saturates, often hidden in cereal labels.
Other independent investigations were conducted to see how much progress has been made since 2006 and found some improvements. However, the results show that it can still be a struggle to find a healthy choice.
Some of the worst offenders:
Kellogg’s Coco Pops| Moons & Stars
Nestle Cookie Crisp (35.3g)
Nestle Cheerios Honey (35.1g)
Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut (35g)
Nestle Nesquik (35g)
Kellogg’s Corn Flakes
Kellogg’s Honey Loops
(Various brands) Honey Nut| Corn Flakes
Whole Earth Organic| Corn Flakes
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies
Kellogg’s Fruit and Fibre
(Various brands) Bran Flakes
Disclaimer: Foodfacts.com neither endorses or rejects the food ingredient and nutritional claims made by food manufacturers. We are reporting newsworthy information that is of interest, and urge all food consumers to conduct their own research and form their own conclusions about the foods they eat.