"cheerios" news and stories

General Mills announced this week it would drop "Smart Choices" labels from its products, including cereals.

The company planned to put these labels on up to 67 items including General Mills cereals such as Chocolate Lucky Charms and Cheerios, but bowed to public pressure after the Food and Drug Administration said the labels misled consumers, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.

Food companies created the labels as an easy way to find healthy foods in the grocery store, but drew criticism when it appeared on mayonnaise and Froot Loops, the paper said.

[Via Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

It's been a long time since I've eaten a bowl of cold cereal, which is surprising, since my lifestyle right now is even more turbo-charged than it was when I was eating a bowl of Special K standing over my kitchen sink at 11 PM every night for "dinner."

However, it was a nice surprise to be offered the opportunity to try a new extension of the Cheerios line of cereals: Fruity Cheerios! Not only had it been a while since I've had cereal, but it's been a while since I'd eaten something so...colorful.

Since Kellogg's cereals are about to go up in price, taking a look at some of the lower-priced alternatives to name brand cereals seems prudent. This month's Consumer Reports happily obliges us with their taste test of store brand frosted flakes (Kellogg's Frosted Flakes), toasted oats (GM Cheerios), and frosted mini wheats (Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats).

Frosted flake cereals are the least nutritious of the bunch, with about 120 calories, 12 grams of sugar and only 1 gram of fiber. Kellogg's well-known brand topped the taste test, tied with the lower-priced Malt-O-Meal version of the cereal. Other brands tasted slightly bitter. CR also noted that a few turned the milk bright yellow. Sounds like it's best to stick to the familiar in this case.

I like cereal as well as the next person, even the plainer kinds like Rice Krispies and regular Cheerios, which are not exciting enough to be "kids cereal" nor are they healthy enough (i.e. made to enhance "regularity") to be strictly for adults. Let's face it: they're pretty uninspiring as far as cereal options go. I'll buy a box on sale and eat it when I run out of other things. They will last quite some time when the box is unopened. This is an excellent feature since it is only rarely when I put plain-jane cereals to their best use: marshmallow cereal bars. With three ingredients, there is hardly any simpler snack and few more delicious. Since these involve no baking, prepared entirely in the microwave, a batch or two is a great way to clean out the cupboard and make room for newer, more exciting breakfast options. It's also a great thing to make with your kids.