Kids' cereals pour on the sugar and sodium

[snopes]

A new study confirms what savvy consumers have long suspected: Most breakfast cereals advertised to kids are chock-full of sugar and low in fiber.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...-cereals_N.htm

[Syllavus]

The top three worst cereals are three of my favorites, Reese's Puffs, Lucky Charms and Pops. So delicious! I wouldn't eat them every day for breakfast, nor would I allow a kid to eat them everyday, but they're a wonderful occasional indulgence.

[llewtrah]

There was a TV documentary about this last night showing how manufacturers are circumventing legislation in order to advertise to children (creating websites with games on to get round stricter rules on TV advertising) and how the claims on the packet are confusing e.g. claiming "low fat" makes the breakfast cereal sound good, without revealing it is high salt/sugar. It also showed how manufacturers pretty much pay charities in return for putting the charity logo on the packets.

One company was misusing the "eat well" plate (a plate of food divided into a pie-chart which shows what proportion of your intake should be fibre/carbs/proteins etc). The eat well plate indicates the maximums of salt and fat for a healthy diet and the cereal company had twisted this to claim those %s were target daily intakes of salt and fat and that their cereal contributed towards the targets!

The unhealthiness of most breakfast cereals isn't new and is covered in dozens of mainstream books. The manufacturers are getting more and more inventive in promoting them to children.

[RCIAG]

Hmmm...a cereal with the word "cookie" in its is name high in sugar?!? The hell you say!!!

Corn Pops used to be SUGAR Pops, Golden Crisp used to be SUGAR Crisp & the mascot is a bear called SUGAR Bear.

General Foods has had Sugar Bear since the 60s:

Originally Posted by wiki

Sugar Bear originally appeared as a character in the 1964 Saturday morning cartoon Linus the Lionhearted. Most of the characters in the series, sponsored by General Foods, were mascots for Post cereal products.

[snopes]

Originally Posted by RCIAG

Corn Pops used to be SUGAR Pops, Golden Crisp used to be SUGAR Crisp & the mascot is a bear called SUGAR Bear.

"Sugar Smacks" became "Honey Smacks," and then just "Smacks," and then "Honey Smacks" again.

[Tarquin Farquart]

Originally Posted by llewtrah

There was a TV documentary about this last night showing how manufacturers are circumventing legislation in order to advertise to children (creating websites with games on to get round stricter rules on TV advertising) and how the claims on the packet are confusing e.g. claiming "low fat" makes the breakfast cereal sound good, without revealing it is high salt/sugar. It also showed how manufacturers pretty much pay charities in return for putting the charity logo on the packets.

I saw that documentary. Oh noes!!11 Coco Pops aren't healthy. Who would have thought it?

(Incidentally I used to think in their adverts they were claiming to be so chocolatey they turned the milk "round". This is odd.)

[DawnStorm]

Originally Posted by RCIAG

Hmmm...a cereal with the word "cookie" in its is name high in sugar?!? The hell you say!!!

Corn Pops used to be SUGAR Pops, Golden Crisp used to be SUGAR Crisp & the mascot is a bear called SUGAR Bear.

General Foods has had Sugar Bear since the 60s:

No! Really?!

I too remember when Corn Pops was called Sugar Pops etc. Another way you know you're getting old.

IMO cereal is nature's perfect food: suitable for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack. What's not to like?

Dawn--cereal killer--Storm