Too much sugar in our children’s cereals
High sugar consumption remains a public health problem. Many efforts have already been made to reduce sugar consumption in the United States, and many prevention campaigns have already been implemented all over the world. But there would still be efforts to be made, especially in the diet of our children.
Indeed, a recent American study published on May 15, 2014 by the Environmental Working Group, informs us that there would be far too much sugar in cereals for children.
The study and the results
A comprehensive study was carried out by the EWG (Environmental Working Group) on 1556 cereals, including 181 marketed for children (1) . It shows that cereals for children contain almost 40% more sugar than cereals for adults. Cereal packets intended for children are most often decorated with comic book characters or other child-friendly heroes. An intriguing phenomenon has been observed: the packets sporting the most cartoon characters are the sweetest of all.
A more detailed study was conducted on a sample of 84 cereals preferred by children, a list drawn up in 2011 by the EWG. This analysis revealed that a good part of the manufacturers (11/84) have reduced the sugar content of their product. Unfortunately, among the other manufacturers on this list, including the 10 estimated sweetest, none have reduced their sugar content, remaining still too sweet (on average 2 teaspoons per serving).
For two-thirds of the cereals studied, a single serving contains more than a third of what experts recommend for a child’s consumption over an entire day. Some would contain as much as 6 different sweeteners. It was also noticed that among the 181 cereals studied, none was without added sugar .
Environmental Working Group has also put forward a mode of promotion of the sales of these cereals that is misguided . Indeed, the packaging and labeling on cereal boxes are designed to divert consumers from the real sugar content of the product, highlighting slogans such as “rich in vitamin D” or even “source of fibre”.
There is a very small selection of low-sugar products in supermarket aisles, especially in the children’s range.
Remember of course that cereals are not the only source of added sugar in the diet of Americans. From drinks, to bread, to dressings, there is added sugar everywhere.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.