According to a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open on May 21, 2025, breakfast cereals on the US market are becoming less healthy. The study analyzed 1,200 cereal products launched or reformulated between 2010 and 2023 and found that the average fat per serving increased by 34%, sodium content increased by 32%, and sugar content increased by nearly 11%. At the same time, the content of two key nutrients, protein and dietary fiber, is declining.
Breakfast cereals are particularly popular among children in the United States and are one of the most commonly consumed types of food for children aged 5 to 12. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture show that about one-third of American children eat cereals for breakfast every day, while only 15% of children eat fruit and 10% eat eggs.
Zhao Shuoli, one of the authors of the study and a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Kentucky, pointed out that this trend is surprising in the context of the public’s increasing awareness of healthy eating. He emphasized that the “healthy” propaganda on the front of the cereal packaging is inconsistent with the nutritional information table on the back, and consumers are easily misled.
Peter Lurie, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nutrition advocacy group, also expressed shock. He pointed out that food companies do not seem to have made substantial efforts to reduce sugar, salt and fat content, while these products are often promoted as “a healthy start to the day.”
Nutrition expert Dr. Josephine Connolly-Schoonen pointed out that many parents are at a loss when facing a chaotic food market when choosing breakfast for their children. She recommended that more families eat prototype foods such as oatmeal, fruit, eggs, peanut butter and whole wheat bread, and emphasized that natural foods that still look like “original forms” should be chosen.
The study also pointed out that some food companies have launched the same brand of cereals in Canada and Europe, with much lower sugar and sodium content than the US market version. This double standard has also exacerbated public dissatisfaction.
Although federal legislation passed in 2010 has promoted healthier formulas for school breakfast cereals, ordinary family consumers still have difficulty buying these better formulas. The American School Nutrition Association said that starting this summer, the sugar limit for school meal cereals will be further tightened, and stricter new standards will be introduced in 2027. The association hopes that food companies can promote these healthy products to the general market, thereby simultaneously improving children’s health in family diets.
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