In a bid to tackle the unhealthy reputation of kids’ cereals and combat childhood obesity, Kellogg’s plans to revamp breakfast with vegan, organic and less sugary kids’ cereals – but will it encourage healthier breakfasts?

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Breakfast cereals are notoriously sugary, with some reports claiming that kids are having more than half of their daily sugar intake before they even get to school. Too much sugar has side effects – weight gain, dental problems, type-2 diabetes, and hyperactivity are just some of them – and if your child is having sugar for breakfast, they’re not getting the nutrients they need to learn, grow and play.

With government pressure to slash sugar content in foods, big brands are having to get creative – and Kellogg’s recent announcement shows their plan to overhaul its kids’ cereals range.

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Less Sugar and Salt in Kids’ Cereals

Kellogg’s plan will target three of their most popular (and most criticised) kids’ cereals: Coco Pops, Rice Krispies and Ricicles.

There is to be a whopping 40% reduction in the sugar content of Coco Pops (from 30g per 100g to 17g); a 20% reduction in Rice Krispies; and Rice Krispies Multi-Grain Shapes will see a 30% reduction per serving. As of January 2018, Kellogg’s will also stop production of one of the worst sugary offenders, Ricicles, altogether.

One important thing to bear in mind is that all these figures are based on a recommended 30g serving of cereal, which is often considerably less than many people actually eat for breakfast.

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Salt is another hidden danger in many foods, and surprisingly present in kids’ cereals. From January 2018, Kellogg’s will reduce salt in Rice Krispies by a further 10% and in Rice Krispies Multi-Grain Shapes cereal by 50%.

Which all begs the question, why was there so much sugar and salt in our kids’ cereals in the first place?

When Kellogg’s made the decision to reduce the sugar content in Frosties by 30%, it flopped. Now, the brand claims that Frosties is consumed more by adults than children (really?), and that Tony the Tiger is more appealing to those in their twenties and thirties than kids. This does seem to hint at trying to get around the ‘sugar tax’ regulations, but with a general concession to improving the range, it will most likely be overlooked.

Making Healthier Breakfast Choices

Kellogg’s also announced plans to remove all artificial preservatives from its breakfast range over the next 12 months, and a new plant-based range which includes no added sugar, low sugar, vegan, wholegrain, and organic options – would you avail of these for your family?

When it comes to breakfast choices, cereals are often the quick and easy choice, especially on busy school mornings, so making this a healthier option is definitely a welcome improvement. However, these changes are coming from just one brand (as yet), and cereals still remain an expensive breakfast choice when compared to oats, eggs and other healthy options.

In our house, the likes of Coco Pops are a ‘weekend cereal’ – and even then, only when there is no match or training on the agenda. My eight-year-old knows that there’s a whole section of the cereal aisle that will never make it into the trolley (first and foremost, anything that comes in rainbow colours) and we regularly have the ‘food is fuel’ conversation to remind her that a good breakfast will help her to learn more or run faster.

We have been branching out lately to try some other breakfast options, including these quick and healthy breakfast ideas to offer some more variety – particularly on cold mornings when something warm is called for.

Our favourites at the moment are:

• porridge with chia seeds and mashed banana
• chopped fruit with Greek yoghurt and homemade granola
• soft-boiled eggs with toasted bagel
• Weetabix with warm milk and chopped banana
• Breakfast smoothies with a homemade muffin (I make muffins in batches, freeze and defrost as needed)

What do your kids enjoy for breakfast? What do you think of these changes to Kellogg’s kids’ cereals? Leave a comment below and let us know – we’d love to hear from you!