Children’s cereals are getting less healthy, study finds
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A new study reveals that children's cereal is becoming less healthy.
The study was recently published in the JAMA Network Open by researchers from the University of Kentucky and Louisiana State University.
The backstory:
Researchers said ready-to-eat (RTE) cereals are the most common breakfast food for children in the U.S.
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They said while cereal does provide some nutrients, it may also provide more sugar, salt, or fat than recommended.
The study examined how the ingredients have changed over time in children's cereal sold in the U.S. between 2010 and 2023.
Dig deeper:
Researchers looked at data from the Mintel Global New Products Database, which tracks new food and drink products.
They focused on all new children’s cereals sold in the U.S. between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2023. These cereals were specifically marketed to kids aged 5 to 12.
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The main ingredients were fat, sodium, carbohydrates, sugar, protein, and fiber per serving. The researchers looked at how the average amount of each nutrient changed over time.
Why you should care:
Researchers found the amount of fat and sodium in the studied cereals went up the most. Fat increased by about 34%, from 1.13 grams per serving in 2010 to 1.51 grams in 2023. Sodium rose by about 32%, from 156 mg to 206 mg.
Carbohydrates stayed mostly the same, with a small increase from 27.32 grams to 28.45 grams per serving. Sugar rose by about 11%, from 10.28 grams to 11.40 grams.
Protein levels stayed around 1.97 grams until 2020, then dropped to 1.69 grams by 2023. Fiber stayed steady until 2021, but then fell from 3.82 grams to 2.94 grams in 2023.
Overall, fat and sodium increased the most. Carbs also rose, especially between 2020 and 2023. Sugar went up slightly, then dipped a bit after 2022. Meanwhile, protein and fiber—important for kids—went down.
Big picture view:
Researchers believe that cerealmakers are focused more on taste than health. However, they add that their findings don't include the entire cereal market but newly-released cereals.
They also said their findings don't include how these cereals affect kids’ overall nutrition.
The Source: The information in this story comes from a study published in the JAMA Network Open by researchers from the University of Kentucky and Louisiana State University. This story was reported from Los Angeles.