September 27 2013
by Chris Woodward
Halloween cereals are under fire by nutritionists, but one mom and senior fellow says those concerned are ignoring a major fact.
Nutritionists are upset that cereals like Count Chocula, Franken Berry and others contain high amounts of sugar and lack fiber while attracting child consumers with cartoon characters. Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at New York University, tells USA Today that moms might pick up the cereal because it's not candy, "but the cereals sure look like candy to me."
Julie Gunlock of the Independent Women's Forum tells OneNewsNow the problem is being exaggerated.
" Just like the cereal companies, [Critics] are taking advantage of the holiday to sort of highlight what they disagree with, which is sugar and any sort of cartoon character being put on the front of a cereal box,” she says. “But what a lot of these food nannies ignore is the fact that a majority of people who eat these so-called cartoon character or 'monster' cereals are adults."
Gunlock believes that food companies should have the right to put anything in the marketplace and parents should have the information to feed their children what is best.
Still, some people have told OneNewsNow that we need a strategy that includes government intervention, as not every parent is teaching healthy eating habits. Gunlock disagrees with that argument.
"There are some real problems with parents not feeding their children correctly or nutritious food, but the answer isn't government,” she says. “It's more information."