A new study has confirmed what many health advocates have long suspected: children’s breakfast cereals are becoming increasingly unhealthy. Between 2010 and 2023, newly launched or rebranded cereals aimed at kids have seen a significant increase in sugar, sodium, and fat, while protein and fiber have decreased. Researchers warn that these changes contribute directly to the childhood obesity epidemic, now affecting 1 in 5 U.S. children.
One voice that’s been calling attention to this issue for years is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As part of his campaign against the unchecked power of the processed food industry, RFK Jr. has openly criticized the ingredients found in popular kids’ cereals—especially the presence of ultra-processed additives, artificial dyes, and sugar overloads masked by misleading health claims.
“Parents are being sold a lie in a brightly colored box,” Kennedy recently said in a campaign video. “Big Food is deliberately engineering addiction in our children—with zero accountability.” He’s called for stronger federal regulations on food labeling, tighter restrictions on marketing to kids, and a complete ban on artificial dyes and endocrine-disrupting additives still allowed in U.S. cereals but banned in Europe.
The new study, published in JAMA Network Open, analyzed 1,200 ready-to-eat cereals marketed to kids ages 5 to 12. It found sugar content has risen by nearly 11% on average, with sodium up 32% and fat up 34%. Most troubling, a single serving now delivers almost half of a child’s recommended daily sugar intake.
Kennedy argues that the FDA has failed to protect American families. “We regulate lead in paint, but we don’t regulate the sugar and chemicals kids eat every morning?” he asked. As momentum builds around food reform, this study adds fuel to a fire that may finally bring accountability to the breakfast table.
