Cereal Junk Food - part 5 (Kellogg's Corn Flakes)

Member Name: Zmugzy

Product:	Kellogg's Corn Flakes
Date:	15/08/08 (672 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Added vitmins and minerals

Disadvantages: Over processed and not fresh

Kellogg's Cornflakes has often been my regular breakfast cereal. Like millions of others, I was persuaded by the marketing since childhood that such cereals are somehow good for you and that they are an healthy addition to a balanced diet. I guess you could say I grew up with them. But in recent years I have cut down and for the past few months I have stopped eating Cornflakes completely. Cornflakes, like so many cereals, are essentially junk food that have been fortified with vitamins. They are always well branded products that are sold in plenty of coloured packaging. This is partly to hide the fact that they are basically a very boring food. Without the added nutrients they would be nothing more than dried waste vegetation.

Kellogg's cornflakes came about accidentally in the USA during the 1930s and have been around for a long time and have somehow become an integral part of our daily diet consumption. They form part of a trend by manufactures during this period to create convenience foods that would last longer. They were seeking ways to turn natural food into a formula that would last longer on the supermarket shelves. This orange flake brand derived from sweet corn is probably the most well known of the flake based cereals.

Kellogg's cornflakes is a ready to eat cereal that requires no cooking, you just add milk. If the flakes are left in the milk for twenty minutes they go soggy. Adding warm milk however, will cause the flakes to go soggy straight away. The flakes do not have the most exciting of flavours and for this reason it has been customary to encourage consumers to add sugar. This cereal contains less sugar than many similar cereals (8g per 100g).

Although the cereal contains less than 3 % fat and is high in added nutrients such as 6 essential B vitamins, vitamin C, D, and iron, one of the main drawbacks in the industrial production process of such cereals is the accumulation of acrylamide - a carcinogenic chemical classified as a probable human carcinogen in 1994. This was discovered in 1950 and although the accumulation of this chemical has been reduced, so far manufacturers have failed to find a way of totally eliminating this substance from appearing in the production process. Although some other processed foods contain much higher doses of acrylamide, tests by the UK's Food Standards Agency a few years ago suggested that a serving of breakfast cereal could contribute about nine micrograms. Those eating 40 micrograms of acrylamide a day are thought to be twice as likely to get cancer of the ovary or womb as those who have lower intakes.

Like most cereal junk food, a good percentage of the price you pay is for the marketing and advertising. Cornflakes are hardly a cheap breakfast option. A 500g box will set you back about £1.70.

I always recommend not to eat such cereals for breakfast. There are far more healthier ways to start the day. Stick to wholemeal sliced bread, fruit or oat based cereals as porridge or muesli without added sugar.

Summary: A flake based sweet corn cereal.