"general mills cereal" news and stories

In an effort to make children's breakfast cereals healthier and more palatable to parents, General Mills announced it's cutting the amount of sugar in all cereals marketed to children under 12.

The company, makers of cereals like Lucky Charms, Trix and Cheerios, said it is working on cutting the amount of added sugar to under 10 grams per serving.

"Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5 percent of the sugar in children's diets," said Jeff Harmening, president of General Mills' Big G cereal division, in a statement. "Still, we know that some consumers would prefer to see cereals that are even lower in sugar, especially children's cereals. General Mills has responded -- and we are committing to reduce sugar levels even more."

In 2007, General Mills announced it was cutting added sugar in breakfast cereals marketed to children to 12 grams or less per serving.

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]