With obesity on the rise, food aimed at children is increasingly under scrutiny.
Recent tests found that some childrens' cereals were more than 50 percent sugar. Consumer reporter Chris Olsen looks at some of the best and worst when it comes to nutrition.
Cereal makers spend a whopping $200 million-a-year drumming their names into your kids' heads, mainly via commercials that aim to make their products stand out from the crowd.
Consumer Reports rated the nutrition of 27 kids' cereals. Ellen Klosz and her colleagues at Consumer Reports focused on calories, sugar, fiber, and sodium.
Most didn't earn a "very good" nutrition rating.
Kellogg's Corn Pops was down at the bottom, rating only fair.
"A one-cup serving has no fiber at all and 12 grams of sugar," said Klosz.
Post Sugar Crisp only rated fair, It's more than 50 per cent sugar. And Rice Krispies didn't rate much higher. Even though it has a lot less sugar, it doesn't have any fiber.
"Fiber helps digestion and keeps you feeling full longer, So you might not gain as much weight," said Klosz.
Consumer Reports' nutritional ratings are based on the serving size listed on the box.
To see how that compares to the amount kids actually pour themselves, testers asked 91 children to pour out a bowl of cereal. The amount was often a lot more than a serving size which means kids can get a lot more sugar.
Consumer Reports did find a few kids' cereals that rated very good.
They're Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Kix, and Life.
"They're relatively low in sugar. They have some fiber. And they're a good source of calcium and iron," said Klosz.
Regular Cheerios earned top ratings for nutrition. It has only one gram of sugar per serving, and a healthful three grams of fiber.
Consumer Reports says it's interesting to note that an estimated 58 per cent of those who are eating kids' cereals are not kids at all, They are adults.And if you are looking for an alternative to children's cereal, good old Quaker Oats has more fiber and no sodium.
And sugar? Well that's up to you.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen