For American kids who regularly munch the sugary cereals marketed
with them in mind, breakfast tastes a lot like dessert.
Now, the launching of reduced-sugar versions of two popular
products, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and Kellogg's Froot Loops, has
some nutrition experts hoping it's a sign of things to come.
With much fanfare, the huge cereal company recently brought out
the brand variations — each with sugar reduced by one-third — while
also keeping the original, full-sugar Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes
on store shelves.
The change leaves about 2 teaspoons of sugar in a serving of
reduced-sugar Frosted Flakes (down from 3 teaspoons) and about 2 ½
teaspoons in a serving of reduced-sugar Froot Loops (down from 3 ¾)
— though consumers may be surprised to learn that the per-serving
calorie count stays the same (see related story at right).
Down-shifting the sugar did not lower the price, however. In
fact, the price went up, as seen at several Seattle stores. At one,
the per-pound price for reduced-sugar Frosted Flakes was $3.56,
compared with $3.20 for the full-sugar version. And the per-pound
price of reduced-sugar Froot Loops was $4.20 compared with $3.84 for
the regular kind. What the sugar-trimming did do was stir up a
bowlful of questions: Is it the start of a trend? Is it significant
for children's health? And will kids — the chief market for
super-sweet cereals — go for somewhat less-sweet versions of the
full-sugar models they're used to?
As anyone who's ever cruised a supermarket cereal aisle knows,
breakfast products aimed at the kiddie set lean heavily to sweet.
Names like Oreo O's, Cocoa Puffs, Cocoa Rice Krispies, Reese's
Peanut Butter Puffs, French Toast Crunch, Total Brown Sugar & Oats
and Count Chocula speak for themselves.
Packages sporting characters like Toucan Sam (Froot Loops),
tie-ins with Disney favorites like Mickey Mouse and heavy
advertising on kids' TV shows help build a loyal following.
Kellogg, General Mills, Post, Quaker and smaller companies also
offer cereals with no added sugar, lots of fiber and other assets
that health gurus love, but it's the sugary products that mostly
target children (though many adults admit to liking them, too).
Whether Kellogg will produce more reduced-sugar cereals will
depend on how consumers take to the early ones, said spokeswoman
Jenny Enochson.
"We're excited about it. We believe the time is right," Enochson
said. "We have been testing this concept for some time. The consumer
response in the past was not positive," but has turned upward more
recently, she said.
General Mills, Kellogg's chief rival and maker of the perennially
popular Cheerios, plus many sweetened cereals, hinted it, too, may
offer something in a reduced-sugar vein, though a spokesman would
not give specifics.
The sugar trimming, though limited so far, comes as obesity is
reaching epidemic levels among American adults and children, with
some experts laying part of the blame on over-consumption of refined
carbohydrates, including calorie-dense sugar.
However, the sugar cuts in Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes were
hardly enough to send the health experts we interviewed into a
sucrose high.
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BARRY WONG / THE SEATTLE TIMES |
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Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops get makeovers —
each with sugar reduced by one-third. |
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"I would say that's a good start. It's taking us in the right
direction. However, what we in America need to do is get away from
some of the more processed cereals and move toward more whole
grains," which do not include Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes or most
other kid-targeted cereals, said Cheryl Marshall, a Seattle
registered dietitian whose patients include overweight children.
Other experts also called the sugar cuts a tiny move in the right
direction.
"In general, we are eating a lot more sugar as a country," said
Dr. Fima Lifshitz, director of pediatrics and senior nutrition
scientist at the Sansum Medical Research Institute in Santa Barbara,
Calif. and a member of the Committee on Nutrition of the American
Academy of Pediatrics.
Though not every nutrition expert agrees, Lifshitz subscribes to
the theory that refined sugar not only is calorie-laden (though less
so than fat) but also tends to promote hunger.
He's convinced that high sugar levels in numerous packaged
products, including breakfast cereals, have contributed to rising
obesity rates.
"Sugar by itself is not harmful if consumed in moderation. If you
eat one bowl of sugar-sweetened cereal from Kellogg you are not
going to die," Lifshitz said.
But that bowl of sweetened cereal, if consumed, should be a part
of a well-balanced diet that leans mainly to nonsweetened foods of
great variety, he said.
Several health experts also said highly sweetened cereals, when
consumed by young children, may build a lifelong taste for sweets.
"I believe — I can't prove it — but I believe habits from
childhood do carry through," said Dr. Jatinder Bhatia, pediatrics
professor at Medical College of Georgia.
"The sugar habit stays (from childhood) and is difficult to give
up," he said.
The sugar industry has responded to attacks on sugar by arguing
that overall lifestyles, not sugar itself, are responsible for
obesity and that adequate exercise, portion control and other steps
can control weight.
And the breakfast-cereal industry points to research indicating
that children who regularly eat cereal for breakfast tend to
maintain an appropriate weight — though some experts say the credit
may lie simply with eating, rather than skipping, breakfast or with
certain other factors.
As for which cereals to eat, health experts generally recommend
plain, unsweetened, whole-grain, high-fiber products such as
shredded wheat and bran flakes.
Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company
