Nothing But A Floating Mass (Kellogg's Coco Pops Straws)

Member Name: deb10

Product:	Kellogg's Coco Pops Straws
Date:	10/04/06 (1936 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great for pea shooters

Disadvantages: too much fat and sugar content

The majority of the time I do try to feed my children wholesome and nutritious food. However, now and again I let my mothers halo slip and they do have a treat. Kellogg’s Coco Straws are really intended for breakfast, but I decided to give them to my family as a quick snack, just to top them up before their dinner. I did not feel the straws could sustain them till lunchtime.
Coco Straws are a new concept, only placed onto the market this year. The idea is for children to suck the milk from the cereal bowl using the straws, Kellogg’s are aiming for more children to drink milk and gain from its nutritional qualities. I am not quite sure where my loyalties lie with this product, as I will make clearer later on in this review.

I purchased this box online from Tesco.com and at present, they have these on offer for £1.04 for a 375g box. This offer stands until the 9th May after which they will resort back to the original price of £2.07. To access this website go to www.tesco.com/extra and for extra guidance if you have not used this site before, then please read my tesco.com review for further guidance.

Of course its not just Tesco that stock these straws, being a popular brand with children you will find these anywhere from Morrisons to Sainsburys. Have not seen them in Lidl or Aldi as yet.

^^^^^ HOW KELLOGS BEGAN ^^^^^^^^

The company was founded by a Mr Will Keith Kellogg who began his career as a business manager at the Battle Creek Sanatorium in Michigan, USA.
It was through his time here that actually inspired him to experiment with nutritious food and then his ultimate discovery, a healthy breakfast cereal.
Then in 1876 his brother, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, developed a grain-based food that would be healthy and also enjoyable for the patients. In 1898, the first production of the cornflake was born and this was produced in the sanatorium. It was in 1906 that Kellogg’s was successful enough to be able to open its own factory and the rest they say is history.
Further examples of other Kellogg’s produce incase you have not heard of them are: Frosties, All Bran, Special K, Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, Honey Loops, Just Right etc etc. The list is quite vast and I recommend you consult the website of www. Kellogs.co.uk if you would like to see the full breakfast menu.
Currently Kellogg’s make and sell more than 40 different cereals, almost worldwide with factories in 19 countries.

~~~~ WHAT YOU GET AND WHAT TO EXPECT ~~~~~

The 375 g box measures only 19-½ cm's in width and 18 cm’s in length, about half the size of an average cereal box. The cover is recognisable in that on its bright yellow background, there is “coco” the monkey, the same chap that is on its coco pops box. The box is very similar to that of the coco pops except the large blue lettering of “Straws” on the front.
Inside there are two trays covered in silver foil. Inside each tray there are 18 straws, a total of 36 straws per pack. Each straw is 17 cm in length and they are laid flat inside the protective trays. There are two layers to the straws, the first is a crispy cereal coating and the middle is a chocolate flavour lining.
The ingredients are: wheat flour, sugar, skimmed milk, egg, cocoa and hazelnuts. There are a small amount of vitamins added, these being folic acid, vitamin B6, B2 and B1.
The calorific value of an average bowl for children (which Kellogg’s recommend at 3 straws) with 125 ml of skimmed milk is 192 kals. Of this there is 3g fat.
The straws do not have to be consumed with a bowl of milk. If eaten as a plain straw, they are quite crunchy. There is strong smell of chocolate but not too over powering.
The dry straw doesn’t exactly melt inside your mouth, it crumbles with a texture like sawdust and the taste is not that pleasant. If I ever had to succumb to eating a pad of A4 paper, this is how I would describe the flavour. It tastes quite stale and very dry. Afterwards there was a revolting after taste, which even a drink of tea could not flush away. My mouth felt as if it was being coated in a plaque like substance.
With a bowl of milk, the taste does not improve. My children have the knack of sucking the milk up to perfection; I however dribbled it down my chin. The straws just evaporate over a short period of time, probably why I ended up dribbling. The technique is two short sucks and then a crunch, working your way up the tube. If you leave the straw floating in the milk it will soon resemble a slimy mass, similar to that of an over dunked digestive that was left at the bottom of your cup. Slightly less of an after taste using the milk but still very unappetizing.
My three children’s ages range from 3 to 8. With three straws and a bowl of milk for breakfast, they would be ravenous by the time the register is taken. Kellogg’s recommendation is wrong, my 8 year old would have to consume the entire box to feel somewhat full. After eating four straws each, my kiddies actually said they felt sick, and it was not because they were completely “stuffed”. They felt nauseous as a result of the taste.


*** TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY AGAIN ***

Well sorry Kellogg’s, but this is first and last box I will purchase.
My children would still eat them but only if the straws were dipped into two spoonfuls of walls special Cornish. As a concept idea, this could have been a winner. This product would be ideal to take on picnics and days out if it had tasted better and less sugar and fat. The content of both are very high, something the Government is trying to discourage parents from feeding to their children. Yet, here are Kellogg’s a brand we all know and trust trying to promote a product that does the opposite.
It didn’t satisfy their hunger and certainly isn’t substantial enough for a breakfast cereal alone. The fat content is too high, as three straws without milk equal a kit kat with about the same nutritional value.
Purely for the purpose of research, I made myself a large hot chocolate, whipped cream on top, you know the one – full of calories. I thought I would give Kellogg’s straws another chance before reaching a conclusion. To be honest they were still as revolting as they were inside a bowl of milk except dipped inside a hot chocolate, the straws evaporate in seconds and end up a floating mess under the whipped cream.
For my peace of mind, my children have a weetabix for breakfast, with honey and warmed milk. For a snack when they come home its back to fruit until tea is made. Coco Straws do not benefit them in any way; the only one to gain anything is the lining of Mr Kellogg’s pockets.

***** HEALTH WARNING ******

Those with any allergic reaction to specific foods such a nuts and milk intolerance, then please read the small print on the box before you decide to consume these.

Also, not so long ago in various tabloid newspapers and also a morning television programme, there was a report telling parents that these straws were far from healthy for our children. The reports highlighted what I have already pointed out that the fat and sugar content was too high and deemed unhealthy.
Also the consumer magazine Which, pointed out that they were to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority. You can see exactly what the food guidelines are for children and also what Which reported by accessing this site:
·
o www.which.net/press/releases/food/060221



For more information on Kellogg’s and the fact they have a great website being www.kellogs.co.uk. The website is more enjoyable than eating their straws. There are numerous competitions, recipes and games for the children to play online. If you need an idea as to what to do with all that excess chocolate over Easter, check this site out. Apart from eating it yourself, there are some great inspirational recipes that are aimed at children to make.


Thank you for reading and sorry to burst the bubble on Kellogg’s new product. They might not sound as exciting but Weetabix and Porridge are far more healthier to send your children to school on.

Summary: An unpleasant box of bland tasting tubes