Two breakfast cereals are half sugar

YONKERS, N.Y., Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Two breakfast cereals marketed heavily to U.S. children are more than 50 percent sugar by weight, officials at Consumer Reports say.

The article, which appears in the November issue of Consumer Reports, also notes several cereals sold in the United States have more sugar and sodium than the same brands sold overseas.

Consumer Reports found two cereals -- Post Golden Crisp and Kellogg's Honey Smacks -- are more than 50 percent sugar and nine are at least 40 percent sugar. Twenty-three of the top 27 cereals marketed to children rated good or fair for nutrition, Consumer Reports said.

There is at least as much sugar in a serving of Kellogg's Honey Smacks and 10 other rated cereals as there is in a glazed doughnut from Dunkin' Donuts, which contains 12 grams, the report said.

In its rating of cereals, Consumer Reports considers two categories -- dietary fiber and sugar content -- as the most important. Cheerios, by General Mills, topped Consumer Reports' Ratings with three grams of dietary fiber per serving and 1 gram of sugar, while Kix and Honey Nut Cheerios -- both General Mills products -- and Life by Quaker Oats also were relatively lower in sugars and had higher dietary fiber. All four rated very good.