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(Kellogg Co.) |
Globe Editorial
Cocoa Krispies to fight the flu? Hardly. But Kellogg’s wants it in your medicine cabinet anyway. A bright yellow banner on boxes of Cocoa Krispies and Rice Krispies blares that each cereal “NOW HELPS SUPPORT YOUR CHILD’S IMMUNITY.’’ The back of the box asserts that the cereals are an “excellent source of vitamins A, B, C and E - antioxidants and nutrients that help support the body’s immune system.’’
Never mind that children are much better off getting those antioxidants and nutrients from fruit and vegetables. Never mind that the first ingredients after rice in Cocoa Krispies are sugar and “cocoa processed with alkali’’ and that the first ingredients of Rice Krispies after rice are sugar, salt, malt flavoring, and high fructose corn syrup.
Kellogg’s denies it is exploiting the swine flu scare. And maybe the company is telling the truth. After all, the brand has long made ludicrous health claims even without a pandemic to exploit. (Witness the claim that Pop-Tarts are “an important part of a balanced breakfast.’’)
Even if Cocoa Krispies and Rice Krispies were helpful against the flu, the side effects would be unacceptable in a nation where obesity is epidemic among children. Kellogg’s deserves no immunity from public scorn.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
