As consumers increasingly prioritize products that offer health benefits, General Mills is incorporating an often-overlooked nutrient into its cereal brands like Lucky Charms, Trix, and Cookie Crisp to enhance their nutritional value. According to Healthline, vitamin D is naturally produced by the body through sunlight exposure, and can also be obtained from sources such as seafood, milk, and egg yolks. Doctors recommend a daily intake of 20 micrograms. General Mills stated that fortifying its “Big G” cereals with this nutrient provides parents with a more nutritious breakfast option for their children, one they are already familiar with.
“Doubling the vitamin D content in our Big G Cereals is another step in our ongoing commitment to delivering affordable and accessible nutrition, as we understand that breakfast doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive; it can be as simple as a beloved bowl of cereal,” said Amy Cohn, the senior nutrition manager at General Mills, in a statement.
In a competitive landscape, General Mills’ main rival, Kellogg, previously submitted a petition to the FDA three years ago to increase the allowable amounts of certain nutrients in their products, including calcium citrate and elemental calcium. The nutritional integrity of breakfast cereals has come under scrutiny in recent years. Kellogg and Post each faced class action lawsuits, settling for $20 million and $15 million respectively, due to claims of marketing their cereals as healthy despite the presence of added sugars. These settlements restricted their labeling practices, preventing the use of terms like “healthy” and “less processed.”
It remains uncertain whether cereal can genuinely be labeled as “healthy” without significant reformulation of ingredients. According to the FDA’s new criteria, a food product can only be classified as healthy if it meets a minimum threshold of nutrients and restricts added sugars. As such, the addition of calcium citrate and elemental calcium, along with other nutrients like vitamin D, may play a crucial role in redefining the health profile of breakfast cereals moving forward.