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Examining A Cheerios Box. Deconstructing the misleading messages on everyone’s favourite cereal. The Package. Whole Grain Check. “Look for this symbol on all of our brands” So, this is a symbol created by General Mills to put on their products It is nothing more than a corporate logo.
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Examining A Cheerios Box Deconstructing the misleading messages on everyone’s favourite cereal
Whole Grain Check • “Look for this symbol on all of our brands” • So, this is a symbol created by General Mills to put on their products • It is nothing more than a corporate logo
Whole Grain Check • 7 out of 10 Canadians Report Not Getting Enough Whole Grain • “Whole grain packs a powerful nutrition punch. The fibre, vitamins & minerals and phyonutrients all contribute to healthy eating.”
Say What? • 69% reported that they ate less than 3 servings of whole grains on the previous day (Source: Ipsos-Reid Canada (December 2004)) • BUT... • The Canada Food Guide suggests 6-10 servings of whole grains per day!! • 3 servings per day was the old Canada Food Guide, circa 1982
Site is mostly about lowering cholesterol. Here is the message about whole grain oats: • 3 grams of soluble fibre daily from whole grain oat foods, like original Cheerios* and Honey Nut Cheerios* cereal, as a part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Original Cheerios* cereal provides 1 gram per serving; Honey Nut Cheerios* cereal provides 0.75 gram per serving.
www.cheerios.ca • So whole grain oats are necessary for fibre • This fibre may reduce the chance of heart disease • Cheerios provide 1g or less per serving (30% as per box) • For comparison, a similar serving of strawberries provides 4 times more fibre than a bowl of Cheerios
Health Check Symbol • Presumably healthy sign • Heart & Stroke Foundation • Seems like an independent endorsement of Cheerios
A closer look... • Reviewed to meet the criteria of the Health Check program (who sets those standards?) • Based on the recommendations in the Canada Food Guide • A fee is paid by each participating company
healthcheck.org • Developed by Heart & Stroke Foundation based on Canada Food Guide • Evaluates products based on fat, fibre, sodium, and sugar • No evaluation of protein, carbohydrate, glycemic index or total calories • Voluntary program, where if approved a company pays a “modest annual fee to help cover the costs of operating the program and developing tools to educate Canadians on healthy eating” • Licensing fee link on website was under construction
Goodness Corner • Another General Mills creation (see *) • Whole Grain • Fibre • Low Fat • 1 g of sugar • 110 calories
Goodness Corner • As previously mentioned, whole grain and fibre are linked together • 110 calories (170 with milk) is enough to fuel me through a 1 mile run (7mins) or 11mins with the milk http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/activity-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx#