A new study published in JAMA Network Open finds that many U.S. breakfast cereals have become less nutritious over the past decade, with rising levels of sugar, fat, and salt, despite being marketed as healthy.
Researchers analyzed 1,200 new or reformulated cereals sold between 2010 and 2023 and found that total fat rose by 34%, sodium by 32%, and sugar by nearly 11%, while protein and fiber levels declined.
“What’s most surprising to me is that the healthy claims made on the front of these products and the nutritional facts on the back are actually going in the opposite direction,” said study co-author Shuoli Zhao, a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Kentucky, in comments to The New York Times.
The changes are especially concerning given how widely breakfast cereals are consumed.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly one-third of children in America eat cereal each morning. But few eat it with fruit or protein, like eggs—choices that could help balance their nutritional intake.
Dr. Peter Lurie, president of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, called the results “extraordinary” and noted that this nutritional backslide is happening even as Americans become more conscious about health. “A product often marketed as offering a healthy start to one’s day is actually getting less healthy,” he told The Times.
The study also points to a broader problem in the food industry: consumer confusion. “It reinforces my belief that the food marketplace is very confusing, and that’s not by accident,” said Josephine Connolly-Schoonen, head of the nutrition division at Stony Brook Medicine. “The food industry engineers the confusion.”
The largest cereal companies—Kellogg’s, General Mills, and Post—did not respond to requests for comment. However, experts note that these same companies do offer healthier versions of popular cereals in Europe and Canada.
There is some progress in public institutions. Thanks to a 2010 federal law, cereals served in American schools have become more nutritious. New rules limiting sugar in school breakfast cereals are set to take effect this summer, with stricter limits coming in 2027.
Diane Pratt-Heavner of the School Nutrition Association said she hopes these healthier options eventually become available in grocery stores as well. “If we’re encouraging kids to eat healthier at school,” she said, “then we want them to be eating healthier at home too.”
The study concludes that many cereal makers appear to be prioritizing taste over health, a trend researchers say may be fueling childhood obesity and increasing long-term cardiovascular risks.
As health-conscious parents and grandparents look out for the next generation, this study serves as a wake-up call: just because it says “whole grain” or “heart healthy” on the front, doesn’t mean the back of the box tells the same story.