Friday, Oct. 23, 2009
Honey Nut Cheerios
Aren't Cheerios recommended as baby's first solid food? Yes, but it's probably wise to choose plain O's over the sweetened version, which is 32% sugar. Unlike the U.K., which prohibits junk-food marketing on children's television, the U.S. has few advertising regulations for the food industry, which bombards kids with ads for sugary fare. The average child (ages 6 to 11) saw 721 TV ads for cereals in 2008. And although cereal companies have healthier choices — regular Cheerios, for example — kids don't hear much about them. "Kix or Life or [regular] Cheerios are marketed to parents," says Jennifer Harris, who led Rudd's research.