Nearly all UK households buy some kind of breakfast cereal (97%) and over 50% of breakfasts include cereal. Breakfast cereals are the most popular breakfast food with 88% of UK adults sometimes eating it and two thirds having it at least once a week. It provides a quick, convenient, nutritious and good value meal.
Even better, an average cost per serving is less than 10p.1 But what’s in a bowl?
The average calorie content of a bowl of cereal and semi-skimmed milk is 170 calories.
Breakfast cereals make a valuable contribution to the intakes of several vitamins and minerals in the diet (25-30%)2,3,4,5,6. This includes folic acid, iron, thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.
Breakfast cereals are an excellent source of calcium as it provides one of the few meal occasions for people to consume milk. Cereals account for 41% total milk consumption in adults and 42% in kids in the UK7,8.
Breakfast cereals are a vital source of dietary fibre.
Developments from manufacturers mean that breakfast cereals contribute just 1% fat and less than 5% sugar to the daily diet9. Breakfast cereals also make a very small contribution to people’s salt intake in the UK - just two10 per cent of the sodium in people’s diets which is considerably less than other popular breakfast foods. Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers members have made a 55% reduction in salt content over the last 12 years.
The EU project, FLABEL (Food Labelling to Advance Better Education for Life) last year announced British breakfast cereals as the best food category in Europe for providing nutrition information on pack.
-Ends-
For further information contact the BCIS Team on:
Email: info@breakfastcereal.org
Notes to Editors
Clinical evidence relating to breakfast cereal consumption
Nutrition: A recent study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association has confirmed the importance of eating breakfast with breakfast cereal being shown to be the most nutritious choice11.
Weight: People who eat breakfast, particularly breakfast cereal, are less likely to be overweight13,14,15,16. Indeed, people who skip breakfast regularly are more than four times more likely to be overweight and one study with nearly 18,000 men found that those who ate breakfast cereal regardless of type consistently weighted less than those who ate them less often17. Even breakfast cereals with higher sugar content do not necessarily contain more calories with an average portion of breakfast cereal with semi-skimmed milk containing only 170kcals.
Dietary choices: Clinical studies show that those who eat breakfast cereals tend to make better dietary choices throughout the day. Those who tuck into breakfast cereal in the morning are less likely to choose biscuits, cakes and sweets later on18,19,20.
Dental health: Breakfast cereals (including pre-sweetened varieties) do not increase the risk of dental caries. This is largely due to the fact that: a) they are eaten as a meal occasion, i.e. not frequently throughout the day; and b) they are usually eaten with milk which has anti-cariogenic properties because of the calcium that it contains21. Research has shown that children who eat pre-sweetened ready-to-eat-cereals have the same incidence of tooth decay as those who do not22. The COMA report (1989) on Dietary Sugar and Human Disease recommends that the frequency of sugar consumption, rather than the total amount of sugar eaten, should be reduced.
References:
UK Breakfast cereals (Nielsen: w/e27th Feb 2010)
2 Henderson et al (2003): National Diet and Nutrition Survey: adults aged 19-64 years.
3 Preziosi P et al (1999) Breakfast type, daily nutrient intakes and vitamin and mineral status of French children, adolescents and adults. J Am Coll Nutr 18:171-8
4 Gibson S (2003) Micronutrient intakes, micronutrient status and lipid profiles among young people consuming different amounts of breakfast cereals: further analysis of data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of young people aged 14 to 18 years. Public Health Nutrition 6:815-820
5 Galvin MA et al (2003) Impact of ready-to-eat breakfast cereal consumption on adequacy of micronutrient intakes and compliance with dietary recommendations in Irish Adults. Public Health Nutrition 6:351-363
6 Serra-Majem L (2001) Vitamin and mineral intakes in European children. Is food fortification needed? Public Health Nutrition 2001 4(1A):101-107
7 Nicklas et al. (1998) Eating Patterns, Dietary Quality and Obesity Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 20, No. 6, 599-608
8 TNS World panel - Feb 07
9 Lennox a, et al (2010) Dietary intakes. In: National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Headline Results from Year 1 of the Rolling Programme (2008/2009), (B Bates, A Lennox, G Swan eds), pp. 33-53. Food Standards Agency and Department of Health: London.
10 Henderson et al (2003) National Diet and Nutrition Survey: adults aged 19-64 years
11 Priya R. Deshmukh-Taskar et al. 2010. The Relationship of Breakfast Skipping and Type of Breakfast Consumption with Nutrient Intake and Weight Status in Children and Adolescents: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2006 Volume 110 (6): 869-878.
12 Wesnes et al. 2003
13 Wesnes et al. 2003
14 Liu S et al (2003) Relation between changes in intakes of dietary fiber and grain products and changes in weight and development of obesity in middle-aged women. American Journal Clinical Nutrition 78:920-927
15 Koh Banerjee P et al (2003) Changes to whole grain, bran and cereal fiber consumption relates to 8-y weight gain among men. American Journal Clinical Nutrition 80:1237-1245
16 Bertrais S et al (2000) Contribution of ready-to-eat cereals to nutrition intakes in French adults and relations with corpulence. Ann Nutr Metab 44:249-55
17 Bazzano et al. 2005
18 Galvin MA et al (2003) Impact of ready-to-eat breakfast cereal consumption on adequacy of micronutrient intakes and compliance with dietary recommendations in Irish Adults. Public Health Nutrition 69:351-363
19 Crawley (1993). The role of breakfast cereals in the diets of 16-17 year old teenagers in Britain. Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics 6: 205-216
20 Stanton and Keast (1989). Serum cholesterol, fat intake and breakfast consumption in the United States adult population. J Am Coll Nutr 8: 567-572.
21 Gibson SA, 2000 Breakfast cereal consumption in young children: associations with non-milk extrinsic sugars and caries experience: further analysis of data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey of children aged 1.5–4.5 years. Public Health Nutrition (2000), 3: 227-232
22 Glass. R.L. & Fleisch, S. (1974) Diet and dental caries: dental caries incidence and the consumption of ready-to-eat cereals. J. Am. Dent. 88, 807-809.
Preziosi P et al (1999) Breakfast type, daily nutrient intakes and vitamin and mineral status of French children, adolescents and adults. J Am Coll Nutr 18:171-8
Gibson S (2003) Micronutrient intakes, micronutrient status and lipid profiles among young people consuming different amounts of breakfast cereals: further analysis of data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of young people aged 14 to 18 years. Public Health Nutrition 6:815-820
Galvin MA et al (2003) Impact of ready-to-eat breakfast cereal consumption on adequacy of micronutrient intakes and compliance with dietary recommendations in Irish Adults. Public Health Nutrition 6:351-363
Serra-Majem L (2001) Vitamin and mineral intakes in European children. Is food fortification needed? Public Health Nutrition 2001 4(1A):101-107
Nicklas et al. (1998) Eating Patterns, Dietary Quality and Obesity Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 20, No. 6, 599-608
9 Lennox a, et al (2010) Dietary intakes. In: National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Headline Results from Year 1 of the Rolling Programme (2008/2009), (B Bates, A Lennox, G Swan eds), pp. 33-53. Food Standards Agency and Department of Health: London.
10 Henderson et al (2003) National Diet and Nutrition Survey: adults aged 19-64 years
11 Priya R. Deshmukh-Taskar et al. 2010. The Relationship of Breakfast Skipping and Type of Breakfast Consumption with Nutrient Intake and Weight Status in Children and Adolescents: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2006 Volume 110 (6): 869-878.
12 Wesnes et al. 2003
13 Wesnes et al. 2003
14 Liu S et al (2003) Relation between changes in intakes of dietary fiber and grain products and changes in weight and development of obesity in middle-aged women. American Journal Clinical Nutrition 78:920-927
15 Koh Banerjee P et al (2003) Changes to whole grain, bran and cereal fiber consumption relates to 8-y weight gain among men. American Journal Clinical Nutrition 80:1237-1245
16 Bertrais S et al (2000) Contribution of ready-to-eat cereals to nutrition intakes in French adults and relations with corpulence. Ann Nutr Metab 44:249-55
17 Bazzano et al. 2005
18 Galvin MA et al (2003) Impact of ready-to-eat breakfast cereal consumption on adequacy of micronutrient intakes and compliance with dietary recommendations in Irish Adults. Public Health Nutrition 69:351-363
19 Crawley (1993). The role of breakfast cereals in the diets of 16-17 year old teenagers in Britain. Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics 6: 205-216
20 Stanton and Keast (1989). Serum cholesterol, fat intake and breakfast consumption in the United States adult population. J Am Coll Nutr 8: 567-572.
21 Gibson SA, 2000 Breakfast cereal consumption in young children: associations with non-milk extrinsic sugars and caries experience: further analysis of data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey of children aged 1.5–4.5 years. Public Health Nutrition (2000), 3: 227-232
22 Glass. R.L. & Fleisch, S. (1974) Diet and dental caries: dental caries incidence and the consumption of ready-to-eat cereals. J. Am. Dent. 88, 807-809.
