01.Introduction
Many ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, especially those marketed to children, contain alarming levels of sugar – so much so that they really belong in the confectionery aisle. Yet often their manufacturers hide behind vitamins and minerals health claims, that mask the cereal’s serious nutritional shortcomings.
CHOICE analysed the nutritional value of 166 ready-to-eat breakfast cereals found in major supermarkets. The good news is, since our last review in 2009 the amount of cereals in the the very high-fibre category has increased. What hasn’t changed, however, is the fact that too many cereals contain far too much sugar and salt.
CHOICE wants tougher labelling laws so that manufacturers can't sugar-coat cereals with claims about nutrition content and health benefits that don’t give a true reflection of how healthy a food is. For example, if a low-fibre cereal is packed full of added sugars and high in salt, it shouldn’t be able to claim that it has ‘protein for muscle development’ and ‘calcium for strong bones’. Cereals targeting children seem to be the worst offenders.
Are food manufacturers misleading us with too much information?
