The wonders of food marketing never cease to amaze, and infuriate. Fooducate community member Cassie posted the front and back of a bag of  Snyder’s eatsmart Naturals Garden Veggie Sticks – Potato, Tomato, & Spinach.

What a name for a product:

• eatsmart – yessir, we all want to do that
• Naturals – nature is good
• Garden – sounds like you grew it in your backyard
• Veggie sticks – vegetables are the epitome of health
• Potato, Tomato, and Spinach – where can you go wrong – these 3 winners pack almost all the vitamins and minerals you need.

These bags should be flying off the shelves.

Now let’s take a look at the nutrition and ingredients to see what’s really going on. Read more…

Have you seen the commercials for Total Cereal with Omega-3? Amber did, and she emailed us asking for an opinion:

As I was watching television last night, a new commercial came on for Total cereal with Omega-3… I immediately thought of your blog. I think a breakdown of the claim would be perfect for a Fooducate blog post. I knew the food companies would catch on to the Omega-3 craze, but to see it in live action (and, because I read your blog, to know that I was being duped) was pretty funny.

Total Plus Omega 3′s cereal says it’s got at least 10% of the daily requirement for ALA type omega-3 per serving. This on top of their 100% of many other vitamins and minerals. Sounds good, no?

We took a look inside the label…

What you need to know:

Before we begin analyzing the specific cereal, a brief intro to omega-3. Omega-3 is a fatty acid that is associated with various health benefits such as reducing risk of disease and improved brain function. Take a look at this breakdown schematic:

As you can see, there are several types of omega 3′s, and not all of them yield the same benefits. They are classified into 2 groups – “long chain” such as DHA and EPA, and “short chain” such as ALA (alpha linolenic acid). The long chain fatty acids are the ones that are considered most beneficial. They are readily available from oils of cold water fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel. The short chain ALA is found in flax seeds, which is found in this cereal (see below).

Our bodies know to convert ALA into the more useful EPA and DHA, but only at a 10-15% efficiency. That doesn’t stop manufacturers from fortifying foods with cheap (read vegetable) sources of omega-3 in order to plaster health claims on them, when in fact they may prove less beneficial than omega-3 sourced from fish oils.

To complicate things even further, it appears that high omega-3 consumption is not enough. The proportion of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids in our bodies also plays a role in improving our health. The modern diet has raised our consumption of omega-6 (through soybean and corn oils) to levels that way too high compared to our omega-3 levels. This imbalance needs to be rectified by either consuming less omega-6, or more omega-3.

OK, that’s enough about omega-3 for now.

Here is the ingredient list for Total :

Whole Grain Oats, Whole Grain Wheat, Sugar, Almonds, Corn Syrup, Ground Flaxseed, Brown Sugar Syrup, Rice Flour, Malt Syrup, Molasses, Salt, Whole Grain Rice, Honey, Color Added, Cinnamon, Barley Malt Extract, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols) and BHT Added to Preserve Freshness. Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate), Zinc and Iron (Mineral Nutrients), Vitamin E Acetate, a B Vitamin (Niacinamide), a B Vitamin (Calcium Pantothenate), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Mononitrate), a B Vitamin (Folic Acid), Vitamin A (Palmitate), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.

Notice the many sugar equivalents (in bold). In fact, there is more sugar in this product than in Froot Loops!!! (13 grams vs. 12 grams).

The flaxseed provides both added fiber and the ALA omega-3.

There are 4 grams of fiber here, which is respectable. And the sodium count is low – only 90 mg (less than 4% of the daily maximum recommendation).

At 200 calories per serving, this cereal is on the higher end of the scale (most are around 130 calories).

We’re not going to relate to all the fortifications tacked on at the end of the ingredient list, for several reasons. Firstly, any junk food can add a bunch of vitamins and claim to be a nutritious choice. Second, it’s not clear at all how all these nutrients interact with each other once entered into our digestive system and how much they really contribute to our health. And last, we get many of these nutrients from other sources, so there is no need to fortify to 100% – the 100% is merely a marketing trick.

Summary – Total Plus with Omega 3′s is a total marketing play covering up a sugary product not much better than “kids cereals”

What to do at the supermarket:

Choose cereals based not on their amazing front of pack marketing wizardry but rather on the nutrition facts panel and ingredient list. For more tips on choosing a healthy cereal, download our free ebook.

As for omega-3′s try to get yours directly from the source – fish. And it doesn’t hurt to have flaxseeds at home to sprinkle into your salad or yogurt either.

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Kellogg’s Special K line of cereals has quietly been upgraded nutritionally. Sort of. The company has added 1 gram of fiber to the Special K’s, excluding the original flavor. One gram doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s 50% more than the 2 grams already present. And more importantly, it takes the fiber content to over 10% of the recommended daily value, which enables the package to carry a Nutrient Content Claim – “A good source of fiber” (see picture above).

But does this change make Special K a good breakfast choice?

Reminder: Special K was introduced to the market over 50 years ago as an alternative to Corn Flakes. It is made from rice and wheat and its marketing throughout the years has touted it as Kellogg’s cereal of choice for weight loss. In fact, in some supermarkets it is categorized as “Diet Cereal”.

Let’s take a look at the label to figure this one out…

What you need to know:

If you are on a diet, you’re probably going to look at the calorie count. At 110 calories per serving, Special K is indeed at the low calorie end of the Cereal spectrum. But don’t get too excited, it’s all downhill from here.

Here’s the ingredient list:

RICE, WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT, SUGAR, WHEAT BRAN, FREEZE-DRIED STRAWBERRIES, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SOLUBLE WHEAT FIBER, SALT, MALT FLAVORING, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), REDUCED IRON, ALPHA TOCOPHEROL, NIACINAMIDE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), VITAMIN A PALMITATE, FOLIC ACID, VITAMIN B12.

As you can see the first 2 ingredients are the grains used in the cereal, but even though the wheat is whole grain, it contributes just 2 grams of fiber to a serving. Which means that the cereal is mostly rice by weight.

Ingredient number 3 is a sugar, as is ingredient #6 (High Fructose Corn Syrup). Together with the freeze dried strawberry they add up to 9 grams of sugar per serving. That’s a sprinkle over 2 teaspoons of sugar per serving. Diet Cereal?

The added fiber is from the wheat bran and the soluble wheat fiber. Since Whole grain wheat is already the #2 ingredient in the cereal, why not use more of it instead of extracting just certain elements?

The sodium count is 190mg, which is 8% of the daily maximum recommendation. You really should look for a cereal with 150mg or less.

What to do at the supermarket:

Opt for cereals whose fiber content comes directly from the whole grain ingredients, not as an add on. And you really need to choose cereals with 6 or less grams of sugar too.

For more advice: Download our free ebook 10 Tips for Choosing Health Cereal.

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Once upon a time there was “Cheerios”. For almost 40 years, up until the late 1970′s, consumers had only one Cheerios flavor to choose from. And then General Mills, corporate owner of the Cheerios brand, introduced Honey Nut Cheerios. It was an instant success. Sweeter (mostly due to sugar, not honey) than it’s elder sibling, it quickly conquered the hearts and taste buds of children across America. In the next decade, the two Cheerios brands were served in hundreds of millions of breakfasts across the nation.

But as competition grew, and the need to grow profit too, GM had to continuously innovate to stay ahead. And thus, in the past 15 years, we have seen no less than 15 variations on the “O” theme including Multigrain, Berry Burst, Yogurt Burst, and now Chocolate Cheerios.

Unfortunately, none of the innovations over the years produced a healthier or more nutritious product. Usually a new product meant more sugar added, less fiber, and in some cases additives such as artificial food colorings. But the health claims kept getting better, usually in inverse proportion to the true nutritional value of the product.

So as General Mills has grown, so have our waistlines. We’re not picking specifically on this manufacturer. The phenomena is not limited to GM or just the cereal category. It is the story of the food industry as a whole. Cut throat competition and quarterly earning reports mandate “growth! growth! growth!” in sales.

But on the demand side, there’s only so many calories people can consume in a day. Or maybe this is the reason we’re packing on the pounds?

Anyway, we got a bit carried away. Let’s get back to CC (Chocolate Cheerios) and see how this new product stacks up nutritionally.

What you need to know:

The nutrition facts panel tells an interesting story. At 100 calories per serving (before adding milk), CC is on the lower end of the breakfast cereal calorie count. Nice. But as with most cereals, the 3/4 of a cup serving size does not represent what most people truly consume.

Despite the prominent “whole grain guarantee” by manufacturer General Mills, there is only 1 gram of fiber per serving in here. What a let down. Honey Nut Cheerios has 2 grams of fiber. Not to mention regular Cheerios with 3 grams.

Sugarwise, we’re talking about 9 grams or just over 2 teaspoons per serving. That’s not as high as Cocoa Puffs, but it’s nine times more sugar than in regular Cheerios.

Here is the ingredient list:

Whole Grain Corn, Sugar, Corn Meal, Corn Syrup, Whole Grain Oats, Canola and/or Rice Bran Oil, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Color Added, Salt, Dried Corn Syrup, Corn Bran, Barley Malt Extract, Trisodium Phosphate, Vanillin, Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols) and BHT Added to Preserve Freshness. Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate), Zinc and Iron (Mineral Nutrients), a B Vitamin (Niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Mononitrate), Vitamin A (Palmitate), a B Vitamin (Folic Acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.

Yes it’s made with whole grain corn, but also with corn meal. Notice that sugar is the number 2 ingredient. There are four appearances of sugar synonyms in the product.  The Cocoa Processed with Alkali – Also known as Dutch Processed Cocoa – helps to remove the natural acidity of the cocoa bean. Unfortunately, it also removes the beneficial flavanoids found in the cocoa beans. BHT (E321) is a controversial additive that keeps a product fresh for longer, but at the potential price of hyperactive kids or cancer.

The most maddening aspect of Chocolate Cheerios though is not what we have discussed so far, but rather the bold health claim that appears inside the red heart:

May Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease

You can’t miss it on the box. This claim is qualified in tiny print at the bottom of the box:

Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. Chocolate Cheerios is low in fat, saturated fat free, and naturally cholesterol free.

This is such BULL. Of course this product is cholesterol free, it’s not made from any animal products. And obviously a breakfast cereal is not going to be high in fats – it’s a C E R E A L for heaven’s sake. How will all the added sugars help the heart?

As for the logic FAIL. It’s the same as saying diets low in salt are heart healthy; candy is low in salt; pig out!!!

Bottom line: Chocolate Cheerios may be a tasty treat, but not a mainstay nutritious breakfast cereal.

What to do at the supermarket:

If you’re going to buy a Cheerios product, your top choice should be the original. Number 2 should be the multigrain followed by Honey Nut. Leave Chocolate Cheerios product be.

Want to learn more? Download our free ebook with the top 10 tips for choosing healthy cereal.

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Are you a loyal fan of a specific cereal brand? Is it the flavor? The nutritional value you once took the time to look up? The only thing your kids will eat? Well here’s some bad news. Manufacturers can, and often do, change product formulations, and you don’t even know about it. Sometimes the changes are not necessarily in the consumers best interest.

Thanks to Marion Nestle’s Food Politics blog for pointing out a falling out between loyal customers and Cascadian Farms, an organic food manufacturer that was acquired by General Mills in 1999. (To be precise, it was actually acquired by Small Planet Foods earlier in the 1990′s. General Mills acquired Small Planet in 1999)

The issue at hand – Cascadian Farm Purely O’s Cereal and a recent reformulation that TRIPLED the sugar count without notifying consumers. The company’s website is abuzz with rants by (ex)-loyal customers:

As a mother of three, and devoted Cascadian Farm consumer, I can’t imagine why more sugar was added to previously excellent product. We consumed about 2,3 boxes of Purely O’s per week until my children all the sudden told med how they tasted differently. Naively, I thought it would be marked on the box if any changes of the products had taken place…then I noticed the increased sugar content. This made us lose faith in your entire brand.

OR

How you can call this cereal “Purely O’s” is beyond me. SUGAR!!??? Really???? CORN?? Really?? Why do we need another corn based,sugary cereal in the grocery aisles? And it is very sneaky to not announce a change on the box.

What you need to know:

In the past, Purely O’s had a front of pack label claiming “No added sugar”. This label disappeared a while ago. Then in October, the company changed its product formulation, without informing consumers.

To be fair, the increase in sugar is from 1 gram to 3 gram, which still leaves these O’s a better choice than virtually all other sweetened cereals.

The company lowered the sodium content from 280 to 200mg, which is commendable, but still too high for a breakfast cereal.

Other changes include removing whole grain barley flour and instead using corn meal. To compensate for the fiber loss, they’ve added oat fiber. The total fiber count hasn’t changed and is 3 grams per serving, the minimum you should be getting from a breakfast cereal.

So why hide the change? It’s not like people won’t notice – the ingredient list and nutrition panel are on the box, for crying out loud. Why the need for all this sneakiness? Didn’t General Mills know it would lose its loyal base of Cascadian Farms fans? Most likely, a focus group showed that the loss of a few loyal fans would be compensated for by an influx of new consumers for whom 3 grams of sugar is a 60-70% reduction.

We’ve updated the CerealScan database to reflect these changes. Cascadian Farm Purely O’s is still a top scorer, but for a group of (no longer) loyal customers, that doesn’t matter anymore.

What to do at the supermarket:

When buying a breakfast cereal, look for low sugar (6 or less grams. 3 grams is considered very low), high fiber (3 or more grams), and less than 150mg sodium per serving. Obviously, artificial colors are a big No No. These factors are much more important factors for your heath than whether the cereal is organic or not.

And just to reiterate, despite the changes, Purely O’s are still a better choice than most other cereals out there.

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New! Choose a better breakfast with CerealScan™ by Fooducate (it’s Free!)

Thanks everyone for the emails with warm wishes for our launch of our CerealScan iPhone app yesterday.

Have a great weekend!

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New! Choose a better breakfast with CerealScan™ by Fooducate

Cereal has become, in just over a century, the quintessential American breakfast. Tens of millions of people start their day with a bowl of flakes, puffs, or crisps poured from a cardboard box .

There are over 1000 different cold cereal products one can choose from, and any given supermarket dedicates an entire aisle to these. Last year, Americans bought over Ten Billion dollars worth of breakfast cereal. This is a big business, with lots at stake for manufacturers, big and small, who fight for every sliver of market share.

Let’s remind ourselves that cereal is not the only option for breakfast. Whole wheat toast, banana, yogurt, cheese, fruit salad, a glass of milk, and eggs are a great start to a day, and don’t require much effort.  For many households, though, cereal is a morning tradition not easily broken. But can it be nutritionally improved?

As consumers are becoming more educated about health and nutrition, the cereal category is in flux, with each brand trying to convince us that its line of products is the nutritional Olympus. Despite small improvements here and there, most of the achievements are in marketing claims. Shoppers are now more confused than ever – with an overload of conflicting information – and no true means to decipher it all to make a good decision.

No more.

Today, we are happy to announce CerealScan™, an iPhone application that will help you choose a better, more nutritious breakfast cereal at the supermarket.

It’s dead simple to use: You launch the CerealScan application on your iPhone. It automatically scans a cereal box’s barcode (UPC).   You then see a product dashboard with concise, graphic information that helps you decide in 3 seconds if the cereal is healthy enough for you. If not, CerealScan shows 5 better choices.

Here is an example (see image). The scanned cereal scores only 2 out of 5. It is high in sugar and medium in sodium. It contains trans fats and controversial artificial colorings. Not good. Swipe your finger across the alternatives to view all 5 better options. Tap on an alternative’s image to see its nutrition dashboard.

How it works: We’ve culled over 2000 cereal boxes into the CerealScan database. The analysis and recommendations are fully automated. They are modeled on answering a simple question – “What would a dietitian recommend if she was standing there with you at the cereal aisle?” The implementation of that answer is by no means trivial. Thankfully a dedicated group of dietitians and programmers at Fooducate have been working on this project for quite some time. I think they’ve done a great job.

If you want to to learn more, there’s more information at the Cereal Scan Website. To get it on Apple’s iTunes click here.

What to do at the supermarket:

When it comes to cereal, the basics we’ve been writing about for the past 18 months have not changed. More fiber, Less sugar. No artificial colors and funny preservatives.

Now you have another option – you don’t need to remember anything, just bring your iPhone along with you to the supermarket and use CerealScan.

Try it out, we’d love to hear how CerealScan has helped you make a better choice. Comment below or email us: cerealscan at fooducate dot com.

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