Children’s Cereals Now Less Healthy Than a Decade Ago: Study

Children’s breakfast cereals have become less nutritious over the past decade, with rising levels of fat, sodium and sugar in newly released offerings as well as declining amounts of protein and fiber, according to a new study.

Why It Matters

Many children and teens in the U.S. rely on cereal to start their day, with data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showing that more than 30 percent of those aged 2 to 19 ate ready-to-eat cereal for breakfast.

Childhood nutrition plays a critical role in healthy growth and development, while also helping to establish lifelong eating habits that can reduce the risk of chronic diseases. High sodium intake during childhood has been linked to elevated blood pressure and other long-term health concerns, for example. Protein, on the other hand, is essential for children because it supports growth, builds muscles, and helps develop a strong immune system.

What To Know

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, collected data from newly released cereals between 2010 and 2023.

It found that total fat per serving increased 33.6 percent, from an average of 1.13 grams to 1.51 grams. Second to fat, sodium levels also soared a similar percentage, 32 percent, from 156 milligrams to 206 milligrams per serving.

While carbohydrates remained relatively stable, with a slight increase, sugar saw a larger boost, increasing about 11 percent, from 10.28 grams to 11.40 grams per serving.

It also found that good nutrients actually decreased, with fiber declining from 3.82 grams to 2.94 grams. Protein content also fell, decreasing to 1.69 grams per serving.

Outside of their nutritional content, legislators have pushed to remove synthetic dyes from cereals. In March, West Virginia signed a statewide ban on seven dyes.

What People Are Saying

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in November 2024: “If you look at a pack of Froot Loops in this country, it’s all chemical dyes. Yellow, blue, red dye, which are poison.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced in April his office is investigating Kellogg’s, saying: “Artificial food colorings have been shown to have disastrous impacts on health, and in no world should foods that include these dyes be advertised as ‘healthy.’ There will be accountability for any company, including Kellogg’s, that unlawfully makes misrepresentations about its food and contributes to a broken health system that has made Americans less healthy.”

Senator Laura Wakim Chapman, a West Virginia Republican, said in March: “No more toxic colors, no more poisoning ourselves and our children. No more unnecessary risks. Our health is not for sale.”