Extra Sugar in Children's Breakfast Cereals Thanks to Confusing Standards

Parents may let their children consume more sugar from their breakfast cereal than intended due to insufficient industry nutritional guidelines. A new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier, finds little improvement in the nutritional value of breakfast products marketed to children despite 12 years of self-imposed industry regulations intended to improve child health. “Consumers often confuse what they consider to be a single serving and what is listed as the product’s suggested serving size, generally eating more than what is recommended for a healthy diet,” said author Matthew B. Ritter, PhD, of High Point University, High Point, NC, USA. “Many parents may be misled by the sugar content contained in the nutrition panel of many ready-to-eat cereal boxes, potentially leading to a higher sugar intake among children than intended.” The study focused on the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), an industry self-regulation program introduced in 2007 that, in part, guides companies in promoting food and beverages to children under the age of 12. The CFBAI includes 18 companies that together produce 70 to 80 percent of all children’s television advertising. https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/extra-sugar-in-childrens-breakfast-cereals-thanks-to-confusing-standards-331807?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=84448971&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--Z-F_N64zSOuYwqsVHKhCOMw2n5b1_jDKj4keb2jHjI6xkxJwTF8EXhb1VZ8NF3qzMay-SZXdf4nHbkB9e83RdoUr8TA&_hsmi=84448972