What is the go-to dry cereal snack for babies? Cheerios. Oh, how babies love their Cheerios. What is a consistent breakfast for adults? Cheerios. Oh, how adults love their Cheerios. Last week, I analyzed how some cereals fade out with age and are replaced with adult-marketed cereals. However, Cheerios seem to be an exception. Cheerios are timeless; they are loved by people of all ages. Babies are always snacking on these little rings, yet they can always be found at the cereal station at hotel breakfast buffets or even in pre-packaged containers in nursing homes.
General Mills describes the cereal as “the one and only” and asserts its timelessness by claiming that it’s “perfect for toddlers to adults and everyone in between.” The nutritious aspects benefit people of all ages. Cheerios have 12 vitamins and minerals, whole grains, calcium, and fiber while they are low in fat, sugar, and cholesterol (“Original Cheerios”). Not only do these nutrition facts appeal to parents who are looking to feed their babies and children a healthy snack, they also appeal to adults who are looking for a heart healthy cereal. With the ability to lower cholesterol, the FDA once insisted that General Mills must get approval to sell their product as a drug (Daily Meal). However, this did not follow through, so thankfully, adults do not need a prescription to get their heart healthy bowl of Cheerios!
At the young end of the spectrum, Cheerios are an easy, finger food snack for babies. Babies can pick up these rings and start munching on them between 9-12 months (“When Can Babies”). With the ability to perform some chewing, babies can break up the little rings, and then they will eventually dissolve. With Cheerios being so small, babies who can chew are able to snack on these without having to chew excessively, which is key for minimizing the potential of choking. All in all, it is never a surprise to see babies and toddlers eating the classic Cheerios out of their plastic, portable snack containers.
As people get older, they still love Cheerios. In 2019, 10.45 million Americans reported that they ate over 10 servings of Cheerios in the seven days before they were surveyed (“U.S.: Amount of Cheerios”). With such a large consumption, General Mills offers many flavors to keep their product dynamic and appealing to many people. Cheerios come in 16 flavors, including Honey Nut, Very Berry, and Apple Cinnamon. For those of us who like consistency, there is bound to be a Cheerios variety that suits your taste. For those of us who like variety, there is definitely a plethora of options to choose from, so people can certainly mix up their flavors! People could even “dress up” their Cheerios by adding fresh berries to the Very Berry flavor, banana slices to the Banana Nut flavor, or any other combination imaginable.
People of all ages enjoy Cheerios, and they are a staple to the American cereal market. Americans buy about 2.7 billion boxes of cereal annually, and Cheerios significantly contribute to this market; Honey Nut Cheerios reign at the top of the charts and regular Cheerios rank at fourth place (Lake). Whether it’s your baby’s “real food” snack or your daily breakfast, Cheerios continue to stand the test of time and have value to people across age ranges. When you’re an adult, don’t assume that your baby is responsible for the stray Cheerios found between seats in the car; you may have dropped some on your morning commute.
Works Cited:
Lake, Rebecca. “23 Breakfast Cereal Statistics That Will Surprise You.” CreditDonkey, 2019, www.creditdonkey.com/breakfast-cereal-statistics.html.
Myers, Dan. “5 Things You Didn’t Know About Cheerios.” The Daily Meal, 23 Mar. 2015,www.thedailymeal.com/eat/5-things-you-didn-t-know-about-cheerios.
“Original Cheerios: Gluten Free Oat Cereal.” Cheerios, General Mills, 2019, www.cheerios.com/products/original-cheerios/.
“U.S.: Amount of Cheerios (Regular) Cold Breakfast Cereal Used 2019.” Statista, www.statista.com/statistics/288207/amount-of-cheerios-regular-cold-breakfast-cereal-used-in-the-us/.
“When Can Babies Eat Cheerios, Puffs, & Other Foods Safely – Answered!” Your Kid’s Table, 29 July 2019, yourkidstable.com/when-can-babies-eat-cheerios/.
I liked how you bridged last week’s blog into this week’s. It showed some continuity and felt like how an established blog would write. I’m personally not a big cheerios guy but I’d agree that it’s likely the only one that doesn’t fade with age.
I enjoyed this article because I could relate to the consumption of cheerios. Since I was a young child, I ate cheerios, and it is no different till this day.
This article was very interesting to me because I eat cheerios all the time. I also found it funny that the FDA tried to market cheerios as a drug. Most cheerio commercials I can remember mention that cheerios lower cholesterol but I never even thought about the cereal being similar to drugs in that sense.