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It’s amazing what people are eating in the mornings, especially what they are feeding their children given the high levels of childhood obesity and increasing rates of Type II diabetes.

While I was in the Melbourne CBD, I was given this brochure and mini packet of Sultana Bran.

While kids are kids and getting them to eat a healthy breakfast is difficult enough, is giving them a sugary breakfast cereal the answer?
When I was a kid we had branded kids cereals which was ok given that we didn’t consume any more highly processed foods sugary foods during the day or evening. Fast forward a few years and the average kid is surrounded by a huge range of confectionery and other purported healthy muesli bars etc.

What is more disturbing is that the marketing is very cleverly pitched at parents by making the notion of connecting more with their teenage children amusing over a bowl of Sultana bran.

With an average serving based on 45grams, it contains 12.8grams of sugar or 28.4%, so with your average growing teenager need more than a teenee weenee pack, the amount of sugar consumed is quite high at 28% of the recommended daily intake if 90grams or 2 servings is consumed.

What is needed is a more coherent strategy with advertising standards and a simplified food labeling system. This will help to quickly identify those products that are high in salt, sugar and fats by removing any confusion and incorrect emphasis on fats and then neglecting the sugar or total energy content.