Sorry, Fitness-Lovers: Cheerios Protein Won’t Make You Swole

When you’re on the lookout for protein-rich food, the first thing you turn to is cereal, right? Um… Okay, so maybe it’s common sense that carbohydrate-bomb cereal isn’t exactly a huge source of protein. But for a time, Cheerios — manufacturer of every toddler’s favorite finger food — wanted you to think it was, with the release of Cheerios Protein. “11 grams of protein with milk!” the package screamed. “A good source of protein!”

Only, it turns out, Cheerios Protein is not, in fact, a particularly rich source of protein. And General Mills is facing a lawsuit because of it.

The facts: One serving of regular ol’ Cheerios Bland (that’s what we’re calling it now) contains 3 grams protein and 1 gram sugar. One serving of beefed-up Cheerios Protein contains 7 grams of protein and 17 grams sugar. “Whoa,” you’re telling yourself. “That’s a lot of extra sugar, but look—seven grams of protein. That’s got to be good, right?”

Not exactly. The problem in the equation comes when you look at the recommended serving size for each cereal. Cheerios Bland’s recommended serving size is 28 grams of cereal, while Cheerios Protein’s serving size is 55 grams, just shy of double that. Which means that, instead of just pouring yourself a double portion of Cheerios Bland and getting 6 grams of protein and 2 grams sugar out of it, you’re getting a whopping one extra gram of protein and fifteen extra grams of sugar with your fancy, more expensive Cheerios Protein.


Is your head spinning yet? We don’t blame you. The TL;DR of it is that Cheerios Protein is a more expensive cereal (one box costs approximately 70 cents more than a regular box of cereal) that isn’t living up to its one claim. And that’s the reason for the lawsuit the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is filing against General Mills: “Consumers who buy Cheerios Protein probably think they’re doing themselves a favor, and that this more expensive product is essentially a protein-fortified version of original Cheerios,” CSPI litigation director Maia Kats said in a statement. “In fact, the main thing that distinguishes Cheerios Protein from original Cheerios is the huge amount of sugar and extra calories. With 17 times as much sugar as original Cheerios, Cheerios Protein is actually more conducive to diabetes, weight gain, heart disease, and tooth decay.”

Oh, yay. There’s that sugar thing again.

General Mills spokesman Mike Siemienas responded to the criticism in an e-mail to Buzzfeed, saying the company rejected the comparison being made between Cheerios Protein and Cheerios Bland. “An equal amount of Cheerios Protein contains 18% more protein by weight than original Cheerios.” He went on to point out that, according to the USDA’s guidelines on labeling something a “good source” of a nutrient, Cheerios Protein fits the bill, with one serving fulfilling 10 percent of the recommended daily value of protein.

We see what he’s saying, but we’ll probably just stick to our trusty bacon and eggs when we want a hit of protein in the a.m.

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