Rice Krispies Boost Immunity?
Needless to state, I rarely stroll down the cereal aisle at the supermarket… it’s been years since I’ve eaten anything more processed than old fashioned rolled oats. Roald Dahl neatly summed up my opinion of most ready-to-eat breakfast cereals in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”…
“Do you know what breakfast cereal is made of? It’s made of all those little curly wooden shavings you find in pencil sharpeners!
It’s only a slight exaggeration. As far as I’m concerned, most of ’em are fortified junk food. So I’m definitely with the author of this Washington Post article…
Kellogg’s has reformulated its Rice Krispies and Cocoa Krispies cereals, fortifying them with vitamins A, C, and E and a bunch of B vitamins. The boxes and ads now tout that “each and every box” of Krispies has ingredients that “help support your child’s immunity.”
…Rice Krispies aren’t the worst cereal in the world. They’re pretty low-calorie and less sugary than most. But to suggest to parents that feeding them to kids will help protect the little ones against disease — and that’s what they mean when they talk about “boosting immunity” — seems absurd.
Indeed. Here’s the list of ingredients…
RICE, SUGAR, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, ANHYDROUS DEXTROSE), PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (ONE OR MORE OF: COCONUT, SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED), SALT, MALT FLAVORING, CALCIUM CARBONATE, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ASCORBIC ACID AND SODIUM ASCORBATE (VITAMIN C), IRON, ALPHA TOCOPHEROL ACETATE (VITAMIN E), NIACINAMIDE, ZINC OXIDE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), FOLIC ACID, BHT (PRESERVATIVE), VITAMIN D, VITAMIN B12. LESS THAN 0.5g TRANS FAT PER SERVING.
So it’s basically flavored white rice with sugar, and a few vites and minerals. Urrrgggh. But beyond the unappetizing nature, the immunity claim looks pretty bogus: the same thing could be said for any number of vitamin-fortified foods. BFD.
So where’s the freakin’ FDA when you need it? The agency’s so tight about qualified health claims for supps that they’re actually being sued for it. Kellogg’s should be held to the same standard – especially since children are the target market.
August 24, 2009
This must be a “new direction” for Kellogg’s. They obviously see the push for a more healthy diet. The only problem is, the products they have are not that healthy.
They added vitamins to their cereal. That of course is supposed to make me think it is healthier. They also have advertised a new fiber bar. “High in fiber and fortified with vitamins”. It looks to me like a Rice Krispie treat with chocolate coating.
As a parent, I should see that as a healthy option to feed my child? I don’t think so.