Breakfast cereals vs. donuts and ice cream

Friday May 1, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- The first breakfast cereal was created in 1863 and called Granula. Not exactly "Greattt" stuff, it was made of bran-laden grains and had to be soaked overnight to eat. But, it contained little or no sugar.

Many of today's cereals, by contrast, contain as much sugar as a glazed donut, according to two consumer surveys. A study by a consumer watchdog group in Britain found that some children's cereals marketed there have more sugar than a bowl of ice cream and as much salt as a bag of potato chips.

Consumer group "Which?" found that " the vast majority of breakfast cereals offer poor nutrition," according to the Daily Mail's online site. "Some 31 of the 100 most popular cereals surveyed contained more than four teaspoons of sugar per recommended serving," said the report. Many of the cereals tested and found to be overloaded with sugar are cereals also marketed in the United States.

Kellogg's CoCo Pops Moons and Stars, Kellogg's Frosties and Kellogg's Ricicles all contained 14.8 grams of sugar, more than a bowl of ice cream. "Even a bowl of Kellogg's Special K," said the report, "which is meant to be eaten as part of a weight-loss diet, has 5.16 grams of sugar in a serving of 40 grams." One teaspoon contains about 4 grams of sugar.

The news isn't better on this side of the pond. Consumer Reports found that 23 of the top 27 cereals marketed to children here rated only good or fair for nutrition, according to a November 2008 study. "There is at least as much sugar in a serving of Kellogg's Honey Smacks and 10 other rated cereals as there is in a glazed donut from Dunkin' Donuts," stated the report. Honey Smacks and Post's Golden Crisp both ranked at the bottom of the nutrition scale, containing more than 50 percent sugar.

And if this news isn't bad enough, an international survey of nutrition found that American-marketed cereals have more sugar than their European counterparts. The study "found several cases in which the sodium and sugar in cereal sold in the U.S. were higher than the same brands sold overseas," according to the 2008 Consumer Reports article. Part of a 32-nation study, the survey was sponsored by International Consumer Research & Testing and Consumers International, and discovered sugar-coated inconsistencies. "Honey Smacks sold in Germany, Slovenia and Switzerland," states the report, "had about 40 percent sugar, compared with 55 percent in the U.S. product. Consumers International is calling on the World Health Organization to develop international guidelines that would restrict advertising and marketing of foods high in sugar, fat, or sodium to children."

While Kellogg's has unveiled "slightly more healthful formulas" for Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies, Corn Pops and others, Consumer Reports said the change was not a significant nutritional improvement. "Most of those products remain at the bottom of our ratings," said the report.

The Best and the Worst

Four kids' cereals that ranked a "Very Good" rating in the Consumer Report survey were Cheerios, Kix, Life and Honey Nut Cheerios. None of these cereals had more than 9 grams of sugar (Cheerios only has one gram) and they all had 2 grams of fiber or more.

Posts' Golden Crisp and Kellogg's Honey Smacks ranked in the bottom because they had the most sugar of any of the cereals tested. Other lowest-rated cereals included Cap'n Crunch, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops and Corn Pops, all with 12 grams of sugar and one gram of fiber or less.

(By Sheilah Downey, and edited by Heather Kelley)