A particular news story appeared almost exactly a year ago, in response to a major journal’s publication of “Nutritional Content of Ready-to-Eat Breakfast Cereals Marketed to Children.” That all-too-typical piece announced that breakfast cereals are “filled with increasing amounts of sugar, fat and sodium,” a statement equally true at this very moment in time.
Does anyone out there believe that the situation has improved since then? If so, we have a very attractive bridge to sell you. Sorry, but no, the shameful trend has not reversed. Oh, and guess what? “The study also found that cereals’ protein and fiber content — nutrients essential for a healthy diet — have been in decline.” That sobering fact is just as true today as it was 12 months ago, and we feel confident in betting that it will be even more true a year in the future.
The original article concerned the analysis of 1,200 new or reformulated cereal products that had appeared on the market over the previous decade and a half. Most of them were products that had already existed, with a few minor tweaks thrown into the mix. Not improvements, just inconsequential changes. Study co-author Shuoli Zhao mentioned the existence of “evolving consumer awareness about the links between excess consumption of sugar, salt and saturated fat and chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and cancer.”
And yet…
But somehow, marketing strategy has not reflected any awareness of increasing customer intelligence, or of elevated industrial integrity. Professor Zhao is quoted as saying,
What’s most surprising to me is that the healthy claims made on the front of these products and the nutritional facts on the back are actually going in the opposite direction.
The study found that the total fat content per serving of newly launched breakfast cereals increased nearly 34% between 2010 and 2023, and sodium content climbed by 32%. Sugar content in the newly introduced products rose by nearly 11%, according to the analysis. Kellogg Company, General Mills and Post Holdings, the three largest makers of breakfast cereals in the United States, did not respond to requests for comment.
Well, what remains to be said? Do we really want them to speak aloud the painful truth? “Hey, you virtuous protectors of the consumer have insisted that all information be revealed. Full disclosure has been duly made. We are as revealing as a striptease artist. The public knows everything about our measurements, and ya know what? The public doesn’t give a tinker’s dam.”
There was some talk of attempting to remove some artificial dyes from the U.S. food supply, but whether any serious attempt will be made to back up the notion with legislation is unclear. Speaking of law, no statute anywhere insists that breakfast cereal must be moistened with milk. Try wetting it down with fruit juice and see what happens.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nutrition advocacy group not involved in the study, published some words from its executive director, Peter Lurie, who was surprised to learn that “large food companies have not made a more concerted effort to reduce the sugar, salt and fat content of their breakfast cereals.”
Well, why should they? If there is a word that describes an attitude more apathetic than apathy, that word would describe the industry’s mental state regarding this issue.
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: “American Breakfast Cereals Are Becoming Less Healthy, Study Finds,” NYTimes.com, 05/21/25
Source: “Nutritional Content of Ready-to-Eat Breakfast Cereals Marketed to Children,” JAMNetwork.com, 05/21/25
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