Children’s cereals ‘fail to make grade’

POPULAR children’s breakfast cereals are failing to make the grade when it comes to healthy eating, consumer champions said yesterday.

Tests on the amount of fat, fibre, salt and sugar in 36 popular cereals revealed not one could be classed as healthy overall, according to Consumers’ Association of Ireland (CAI) ratings.

Among the brands tested by the CAI were top-sellers like Kellogg’s Coco Pops, Nestlé Cheerios and Quaker Sugar Puffs as well as supermarket own-brand versions of these.

CAI researchers looked at the amounts of essential fibre, sugar, salt and saturated fat per 100 grammes of the 36 products as well as 72 other cereals including muesli, porridge and breakfast foods aimed at grown-ups.

In tests on the children’s cereals, they found most had excess sugar with at least 20g of sugar per 100g. Excess intake of sugar is linked to obesity as well as tooth decay.

Levels of saturated fat — which is linked to heart disease — were generally acceptable but a notable exception was Kellogg’s Coco Pop Straws, which were classed as having very high levels of the fat at more than 5g per 100g of cereal.

Just over half the cereals had insufficient levels of fibre, which is needed to keep bowels healthy, at under 3g of the nutrient per 100g of cereal. The CAI said a good breakfast should have 6g or more per 100g.

Compared to a CAI survey carried out in December, 2004, salt levels in children’s cereals were dropping. Salt is linked to high blood pressure and heart disease.

Yet the CAI found eight cereals had too high levels of salt while most were within acceptable limits. Only one had low levels of salt.

Of the 51 cereals for grown-ups, just eight passed the CAI’s guidelines to be classed as “healthy” while a survey of muesli products found many have too high levels of sugar.

Of nine hot porridge-based cereals, all but one were classed as healthy and had top marks for high fibre and low levels of fat, salt and sugar.

CAI chief executive Dermott Jewell said consumers were faced with difficulty when trying to choose a healthy breakfast cereal.

“The amount of marketing spin and nutritional claims to fame are rarely put in context, leaving consumers misinformed, misunderstanding and misled.”

He said consumers needed to beware of health claims on cereals as the CAI had found products healthy in some respects but not overall.

Elizabeth Headon, for Kellogg’s, said cereals were an important way for children to get nutrients like calcium and iron into their diets.

“A year-long study of the diets of Irish children aged five to 12 years found that between 6% and 8% of the calories they consume daily derives from breakfast cereal — as does less than 7.5% of the sugar.”