Kelloggs, Quaker dominate worst cereal list

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but not if your children’s cereal is over half sugar.

In a list published by Consumer Affairs, some popular cereals measured between 41.4 and 55.6 percent sugar by weight.

Kelloggs had 5 cereals on the list, with Honey Smacks at the top, followed by Froot Loops Marshmallow, Smorz, Apple Jacks and original Froot Loops.

Are your children getting a days worth of sugar before lunch? Some popular breakfast cereals are over 50% sugar by weight. Photo via Wiki Commons

Quaker brand was next, with 4 offenders: Cap’n Crunch’s OOPS! All Berries, original Cap’n Crunch, Quaker Oats Oh!s and Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries. Post rounded out the list in the number two spot, with Golden Crisp.

Regulation in place is voluntary, and lobbyists for the cereal are fighting to block any mandatory guidelines proposed by the current administration. Currently the industry has set it’s own standard for sugar in cereal at 38%, significantly higher than the USDA guideline of 26%.

Here are some simple recommendations to ensure your child doesn’t consume their entire daily allowance of sugar, before even leave the house in the morning:

• Look for cereals high in fiber
• Be aware of hidden sugar, ie honey, molasses, fruit juice concentrate, brown sugar, corn sweetener, sucrose, lactose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup and/or malt syrup
• Offer kids natural or whole foods, such as fruit, oatmeal, nuts, eggs or yogurt
• Portion control. A serving of cereal is often a half cup or a cup, while most people eat a bowl full.

The full list of the 10 Worst Children’s Cereals can be seen at the Consumer Affairs website.