Silly us. We thought cereal already had fiber. Some do but many for kids don’t so, fearing a federal clampdown, cereal giant Kellogg has announced it will add fiber to about 80% of its brands, starting with kid-friendly Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks. The goal is to increase fiber to 3g, the government-required amount to make it a good source of fiber for kids.
Kellogg’s home town paper, the Battle Creek Enquirer, says company research shows fiber is a top concern among parents and that constipation is responsible for one-fourth of all visits to pediatricians. But as the Center for Science in the Public Interest points out, adding fiber does not mean sugars and sodium are being reduced, so label-reading is still necessary.
Apple Jacks and Fruit Loops will get their fiber boost in August, but the company won’t say which others will get fibered up through next year. A company spokesman also declined to tell the Battle Creek paper whether high fructose corn syrup will be reduced or eliminated, saying there’s a lot of “emotionalism” in the issue.
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Oh, ella, why are we humans so weird? First, process the heck out of everything, then “add back in” inferior sources of vitamins, and fiber, and whatnot.
This is like trying to eat whilst standing on ones head. And, oh, the sugar…
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Muse, you are SO right, and that “take it out, put it in” aspect really didn’t occur to me!
And I totally do not understand this apparent belief that kids won’t eat cereal unless it’s sugared up. I certainly understand them being just as vulnerable to ads and peer pressure as people of all ages are, but why do they have to have sugary stuff aimed at them? (gee, ella, ’cause it sells??)