Report by EWG (*Environmental Working Group) www.ewg.org – May 2014 

*The Environmental Working Group is the nation’s most effective environmental health research and advocacy organization. Our mission is to conduct original, game-changing research that inspires people, businesses, and governments to take action to protect human health and the environment.

A comprehensive analysis by the Environmental Working Group of 1,556 cereals, including 181 marketed for children, shows that most pack in so much sugar that someone eating an average serving of a typical children’s cereal would consume more than 10 pounds of sugar a year from that source alone. And even though researchers have found that children are happy to eat low-sugar cereals, the supermarket cereal aisle offers few such products – and children’s cereals with cartoon characters on the box are among the most highly sweetened of all.

EWG also re-reviewed a smaller sample of 84 popular children’s cereals that it had previously evaluated in 2011. This analysis found that while a handful of manufacturers lowered the sugar content of 11 cereals in that sample, the vast majority are still too sweet to be healthy, averaging two teaspoons per serving. One cereal added even more sugar. Not one of the 10 most sweetened cereals on EWG’s 2011 list lowered its sugar content.

Cereals can provide important nutrients that children need during critical times of growth and development – without all the added sugar. Unsweetened whole-grain hot cereals such as oatmeal with fruit on top are a much healthier choice, providing a rich source of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals and no empty calories. The reality, however, is that hot cereals can be less convenient for busy families – although there are many ways to work around this – making the lack of low-sugar cold cereals all the more problematic.

Cereals are not the only source of added sugar in the American diet, of course. Sugars are added everywhere – from beverages to bread, tomato sauce and salad dressings – contributing to growing waistlines, decayed teeth, and a multitude of obesity related diseases. The USDA itself calls sugar “the number one food additive” (USDA 2003).

EWG’s Recommendations

• Reduce sugar consumption from all sources and seek out foods without added sugars. 

• Read the Nutrition Facts labels carefully and choose cereals with the lowest sugar content. Look for cereals that are low sugar [no more than a teaspoon (4 grams) per serving] or moderately sweetened [less than 1 1/2 teaspoons (6 grams) per serving].

• Prepare breakfast from scratch as often as possible; add fruit for fiber, potassium and other essential vitamins and minerals.

• Check out EWG’s Healthy Breakfast Tips for great ideas on making healthy and sustaining breakfasts.

• Speak out. Use your buying dollars and your words to tell cereal manufacturers you want more low-sugar choices for you and your family.