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Nutrients meet sweetness: Why are many breakfast cereals called 'sugar cereals'?
Breakfast cereals are a food category widely consumed in Western societies. These foods are mainly made from processed cereals and are often served for breakfast or as a snack. While hot, cooked cereals like oatmeal and polenta have a long history and were once a staple of traditional breakfasts, branded, ready-to-eat cold cereals began to appear in the late 19th century, bringing with them a growing demand for hot, cooked cereals. Their highly marketable promotion.
These processed, pre-cooked packaged cereals are often consumed with a dairy product, traditionally milk.
However, while some companies tout the health benefits of their cereal products, such as high-fiber oat cereals, most breakfast cereals contain large amounts of added sugar. This has led to many brands of cereal being generically referred to as "sugar cereals", more so because of their strategy of targeting the children's market in advertising, often featuring cartoon mascots and accompanied by toys or prizes to attract young consumers. attention.
In the United States, the number of breakfast cereals available has increased from approximately 160 in 1970 to 340 in 1998, and by 2012, an estimated 5,000, reflecting the market's growing demand for different flavors and types. need. Behind the product diversification is the result of cereal companies constantly improving their products to adapt to the increasingly competitive market demand.
Many consumers are inadvertently attracted by these appearances, but often ignore their intrinsic nutritional value.
But are these irresistibly sweet breakfast cereals actually part of a healthy diet? While breakfast cereal advertisements often claim that the product can be part of a "complete breakfast," many products actually lack essential vitamins and nutrients. Many marketed cereals, despite containing added vitamins, are high in sugar, again raising questions among nutritionists.
Against this backdrop, why are these high-sugar breakfast cereals still so popular on the market? This is closely related to parents' desire for convenience and to attract children to consume. On the one hand, they offer a quick and easy-to-prepare option; on the other hand, the bright packaging and appeal of mascots undoubtedly reinforce children’s desire to buy them, ultimately leading to the phenomenon that these cereals are widely regarded as breakfast.
As parents pay more attention to their children's diet, greater importance is placed on the composition and sugar content of cereals.
In order to cater to consumers' growing health awareness, some breakfast cereal companies have begun to fundamentally reconsider the ingredients of their products, hoping to better meet consumers' demand for healthy eating. For example, there is finally a category of breakfast cereals labeled "low sugar" or "no added sugar" to give non-sweet toothers options.
Though, from a historical perspective, breakfast cereals high in sugar have been popular since the mid-20th century. Since the end of World War II, these sugar-based foods have been used to attract young consumers and lead market trends. Through continuous marketing and advertising, breakfast cereals have successfully created huge profit margins and become a highly competitive industry.
Around the world, many cultures have different definitions of breakfast, such as oatmeal porridge, rice porridge, etc., each has its own merits. But while we’re enjoying these convenient breakfast options, do we really understand the ingredients behind these products and their health benefits?
Faced with a wide variety of choices in the supermarket, how can consumers make rational choices to ensure that they can eat healthy and delicious breakfast cereals?
