Cereal – the top breakfast choice for kids – may be getting less healthy, according to a new study. It found a significant decrease in nutritional quality of cereals marketed to children that were introduced in the U.S. in 2010 and 2023.
Some people think cereal is a healthy way to kick off the day. But many cereals available in the U.S. contain large amounts of sugar, unnecessary ingredients and harmful additives like food dye.
And cereal manufacturers know what they’re doing with their approach to packaging and promoting their brands. The bright colors and cheery cartoon characters adorning many popular cereal boxes aim to appeal to young audiences. It works: Kids of all ages consume more ready-to-eat cereal for breakfast than any other option, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found.
The recent study found significant increases in fat, sodium and sugar content for cereals introduced between 2010 and 2023 – 34%, 32% and 11%, respectively. Meanwhile, the nutritional values of protein and dietary fiber decreased.
“These trends suggest a potential prioritization of taste over nutritional quality in product development,” the authors write, adding that the changes likely contribute to rising childhood obesity rates and create future cardiovascular health risks.
The study, “Nutritional Content of Ready-to-Eat Breakfast Cereals Marketed to Children,” was conducted by a team of agricultural economics researchers from the University of Kentucky and Louisiana State University. It was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Network Open.
The researchers reviewed 1,200 cereals that were “newly launched” between 2010 and 2023, a designation that includes everything from reformulation to packaging changes.
They did not measure how often children eat these cereals or how their consumption compares to cereals launched before 2010. That makes it difficult to pinpoint exactly how the nutritional content changes show up in kids’ diets today. Still, the findings align with a larger trend since the 1980s of declining nutritional quality.
Ultra-processed cereal
Many children’s cereals are considered ultra-processed food, or UPF, which means they contain one or more additives often created through industrial processes, like artificial flavors, non-nutritive sweeteners, colors and emulsifiers. They also tend to have high amounts of sugar, fat and salt.
Countless studies have linked UPF to health concerns ranging from metabolic diseases like obesity and Type 2 diabetes to heart disease, cancer and more.
UPF makes up over 70% of the U.S. food supply and 67% of children’s diet. In fact, Americans consume more UPF than any other industrialized country. Many of these foods are also engineered by manufacturers to trick your brain into overeating.
Agencies have been slow to react to the growing prevalence of UPF. The federal government has also failed to regulate many additives used in food products, with 99% of chemicals introduced since 2000 approved by industry groups – not the Food and Drug Administration.
The Trump administration has started to take a closer look at the problem of UPF, though efforts have been rocky, at best. The Make America Healthy Again Commission released a report stressing the negative health impacts of these foods and pledging to conduct further research. It’s unclear when or whether new regulations will be put in place, and what actions the administration is planning to take to address UPF.
The report’s rollout was marred by the discovery of citations of nonexistent studies and claims authors misinterpreted some of the real studies it referred to, casting doubts on its scientific rigor.
Although the errors were not found in sections focused on UPF, the debacle may prove a setback for federal action on food chemical regulation.
States take action
Some states are stepping up to tackle the problems with food.
The Golden State has led the way, passing the California Food Safety Act in 2023 and the California School Food Safety Act in 2024 to better regulate the chemicals used in children’s food. Both bills were cosponsored by EWG.
The Legislature is considering a bill to define UPF and phase the most harmful of them out of schools. If enacted, it would be the first law of its kind and an important step toward making children’s food safer.
Other states are acting, too, with over 60 bills banning or restricting certain food chemicals, including artificial colors, and 10 already enacted this year.
Healthier food choices
Because UPF is so common, it can be difficult to avoid. Eating in moderation is the healthiest approach. Choosing organic versions when possible can also help, as they tend to have less sugar, fat and sodium than their non-organic counterparts.
You can also use EWG’s Food Scores database – which rates food products based on nutrition, ingredients and processing – to find information on the health and safety of your food.
