Archive for July 22nd, 2014

Cereal Misrepresentation

I buy a variety of cereals for breakfast. Some for me, some for the kids. One of the kinds I liked for me was Special K with Fruit and Yogurt.

photo of the front of a cereal box of Special K with fruit and yogurt

Sound healthy, right?

But I’m not here to discuss the nutrition aspect of the cereal. I’m here to discuss the fruit part.

What fruit do you think is in the cereal?

close photo of the front of a cereal box of Special K with fruit and yogurt, enlarged to show detail

It says it contains fruit.
It shows strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries on the box.

One would think that the cereal contained strawberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries.

photo of the ingredients list of a cereal box of Special K with fruit and yogurt

Did you see any of those fruits listed in the ingredients?

Nope.

All it has, as far as fruit goes, is apples. And red dye to make them look like strawberries or raspberries.

Pretty sneaky…

I’d almost consider continuing to buy and eat it, because it tastes good enough. But I think I’ll stop because of the red dye. Plus there are other cereals, including Special K brand, that do contain actual berries.

No sense in rewarding the imposter with more business.

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Genesis 3:13