Many people think choosing foods with blueberries in them can boost antioxidant intake. That’s true, but only if blueberries are actually in the food. You may want to take a second look at the label to be sure. Popular breakfast products from cereals to bagels to PopTarts advertise blueberries in the name and prominently display pictures of them on the box, but the things conspicuously missing might be the blueberries themselves.
Mike Adams, with the Food Investigations branch of the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center, looked into the issue. One of the products he focused on was Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal by General Mills, which does not contain blueberries or pomegranates. It does contain blue red dye #40, blue dye #2 , sucralose, sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and brown sugar syrup. Sadly, General Mills was hardly alone in their deception. Whether the other products called their imitation blueberries “blueberry bits”, “blueberry crunchlets”, or something else, they all had the same cast of artificial sweeteners, sugars, artificial food dyes, hydrogenated vegetable oils, and artificial flavors.
Why would companies want to trick consumers into thinking they are buying something healthy? Because it feeds their bottom line. Real blueberries can be quite expensive but artificial blueberries made from sugar are very inexpensive. The companies pocket the difference.
The good news is there are companies that actually use whole food blueberries in their ingredients. For example, Nature’s Path Organic Optimum Blueberry, Cinnamon Breakfast Cereal contains both real blueberries and cinnamon! Next time you grab a box of something that you assume contains what the pictures and words are advertising; make sure you check the ingredients. The least processed foods are the best when choosing options for healthful eating.
Further information-
Blueberries faked in cereals, muffins, bagels and other food products– (Video) TheHealthRanger, 6/18/11
General Mills Total Mind Games– (Audio satire of call to GM Customer Services)
