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Nutri-Grain 25% Less Sugar Vanilla Malt | Chewsday Review

A new Nutri-Grain flavour with 25% less sugar? Let's see how this cereal compares when it comes to the crunch.

Ingredients

Cereals (49%)(wheat flour, oat meal, maize flour), wheat protein, sugar, fructooligosaccharides, maltodextrin, molasses, oat fibre, vegetable gum (acacia gum), salt, barley malt extract, minerals (calcium carbonate, iron, zinc oxide), natural flavours, raising agent (potassium bicarbonate), natural colours (paprika, turmeric), vitamins (niacin, vitamin B6, riboflavin, folate).
Sugar is still third in the ingredient list, so I’m still expecting this cereal to be reasonably high in added sugar.
The main difference in the ingredients compared to original Nutri-Grain is the addition of fructo-oligosaccharides, which is used as a prebiotic and sweetener without adding actual sugar.
Allergens: wheat, gluten.
May contain: peanuts, tree nuts.

Positives

Nutri-Grain Less Sugar has added iron, which can be helpful for fussy eaters who may not be eating many iron-rich foods like meat or legumes. The iron content (3.0mg per serving) is on par with 2 Weet-Bix.
At 3.3g per serve, the fibre content of Nutri-Grain Less Sugar comes in above our target, and is higher than original Nutri-Grain (2.1g per serve).
Like original Nutri-Grain, this cereal has added calcium, which can be useful for kids with a cow’s milk allergy.
Sodium and saturated fat are within guidelines.

Negatives

Although Nutri-Grain Less Sugar contains 25% less sugar than regular Nutri-Grain (17.7g per 100g compared to 24g per 100g), this is still higher than our target and more than four times the sugar content of Low Sugar Vanilla Cheerios (4.1g per 100g) and Weet-Bix (3g per 100g).
At $20 per kg, the price of Nutri-Grain Less Sugar is comparable to original Nutri-Grain ($19.10 per kg), but more than double the price of Weet-Bix ($9.30 per kg), and pricier than Sultana Bran ($12.90 per kg) and Low Sugar Vanilla Cheerios ($16.60 per kg).

Marketing

“25% less sugar compared to original Nutri-Grain cereal”. True, but still above guidelines.
“20% protein. Helps you feel fuller and contributes to the growth of muscle mass”. Both the less sugar and original varieties of Nutri-Grain are considered “high protein” cereals. But more protein isn’t always necessary. Aussie kids tend to eat more than enough protein to meet their requirements, so this is not a huge benefit to most kids. The protein in this cereal also won’t make you an iron man.
“B vitamins & iron: help reduce tiredness and fatigue”. This is misleading. Fatigue is a symptom of iron and B12 deficiency, with treatment involving supplementation, not a breakfast cereal! Unless your levels are low, it’s unlikely that increasing intake of these nutrients will give you a boost in energy.
“No artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or sweeteners”. True, although this cereal does contain fructo-oligosaccharides, it doesn’t contain alternative sweeteners like some other reduced sugar cereals on the market. Although the evidence suggests that sweeteners in our food supply are safe, we don’t have a lot of evidence for their use in children so they are not our standard recommendation.

Alternatives

Nutri-Grain Less Sugar is higher in fibre and lower in sugar than original Nutri-Grain, although the sugar content is still above guidelines. If your kids are crazy about original Nutri-Grain it could be a reasonable swap, but otherwise I wouldn’t recommend it as a regular in your breakfast cereal rotation. It’s also important to teach our kids to be able to eat and enjoy all foods, stop when they’re satisfied, and not feel like they have to choose a ‘healthier’ version all the time.
If you’re looking for breakfast cereals with less added sugar and a higher fibre content, I’d suggest Sultana Bran and Just Right, or my go-to options of plain oats or Weet-Bix with your own toppings or breakfast sprinkles.