Is this the most-wanted cereal killer?
An ex-FDA employee has revealed what he claims is the most harmful breakfast cereal on the U.S. market.
Dr. Darin Detwiler, who previously served as a food safety expert for the agency, told the Daily Mail that Kellogg’s Froot Loops are the worst of the bunch, pointing out, or through, that the rainbow rings are “heavily processed and contain high levels of added sugars, artificial dyes and preservatives, which are linked to health concerns.”
Given the laundry list of bad-for-you ingredients in the bagged cereal, Detwiler says excess sugar is the least odious.
A one-cup serving of Froot Loops contains 12.35 grams of sugar, nearly half of the recommended daily allowance for children. However, as Detwiler explains, that serving size is unrealistic as most kids eat more than the recommended single cup.
The bright red hue found in Froot Loops comes courtesy of Red 40, a controversial additive linked to a slew of health problems.
A 2022 study yielded “alarming” results about the effects of Red 40 — sometimes called Allura red — on the human digestive tract.
Researchers from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, claimed the synthetic dye could potentially trigger irritable bowel and Crohn’s diseases after observing the biomarkers of damage in the gut cells of mice.
The good doctor’s revelation comes as more than 1,000 cereal lovers and health activists marched on Kellogg’s Michigan headquarters on Tuesday, demanding the end of “harmful additives” being injected into U.S. batches of products like Froot Loops and Apple Jacks.
Over 400,000 signatures were delivered to the breakfast food giant’s offices in Battle Creek, calling for it to remove artificial dyes and preservatives blamed for health defects and behavioral issues in some children.
“It’s now 2024, and Kellogg’s still sells several cereals with artificial colors and flavors in America, all of which target young children,” the petition read. “Even worse, Kellogg’s continues launching NEW cereals for children filled with artificial ingredients, such as Minecraft Frosted Flakes and Disney’s Little Mermaid Cereal.”
Actress Eva Mendes added her voice to the chorus, taking to Instagram to share, “I grew up on cereal. I still love it but I won’t eat @kelloggsus anymore after I found out that so many of the ingredients they use here in the US are BANNED in other countries. Why? Because they’re harmful for children.”
In March of this year, Kellogg investor Jason Karp, founder and chief of healthy foods company HumanCo, put Kellogg on blast, asserting that “in pursuit of short-term profits, Kellogg fills its most ubiquitous cereal products in the U.S. … with harmful artificial dyes, such as Red 40, Yellow 6, and Blue 1, as well as the preservative BHT.”
Karp alleged that Kellogg’s is well aware of the dangers of these additives. He cited research from the Center for Science in the Public Interest linking the dyes to organ damage, cancer, behavioral problems and hyperactivity.
Kellogg’s CEO Gary Pilnick made waves in February when he suggested eating cereal for dinner was a solution to soaring grocery costs.
The Food and Drug Administration says color additives are safe for consumption when used according to its regulations and that no causal link has been established between the chemicals and behavioral effects in children.
“The totality of scientific evidence indicates that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives, but some evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them,” the FDA states.
In 2015, Kellogg’s vowed to remove artificial colors and ingredients from its products by the end of 2018.
Red 40 and Yellow 5 — both used to make Froot Loops in the U.S. but not abroad — are entirely barred in the UK.
Japan also forbids the use of Red 40, and Canada bans the use of the BHT preservative. While the American version of Froot Loops is laced with petroleum-based food dyes, the cereal’s Canadian counterpart contains more natural dyes, such as concentrated carrot, watermelon and blueberry juices.
“The quality and safety of our foods is our top priority. Our products — and the ingredients we use to make them — are compliant with all applicable relevant laws and regulations, and we remain committed to transparently labeling our ingredients so consumers can easily make choices about the food they purchase,” the WK Kellogg Company wrote in an email to The Post.
“Today, more than 85 percent of our cereal sales contain no colors from artificial sources. In fact, we continuously innovate new cereals that do not contain colors from artificial sources across our biggest brands, offering a broad choice of nourishing foods for our consumers,” Kellogg continued. “This approach is consistent with our commitment to meet evolving consumer preferences.”
It would seem those preferences are moving toward clean ingredients.
Earlier this year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the California School Food Safety Act into law, a first-of-its-kind stateside that banned six dyes found in meals, drinks and snacks served in school cafeterias.
