Are cereals good for you? - Frequently Asked Questions

The Health Star Rating is a front-of-pack labelling system that rates the overall nutritional profile of packaged food and assigns it a rating from ½ a star to 5 stars. It was developed by the Australian, state and territory governments in collaboration with industry, public health and consumer groups and was firstly used on food packages in 2014.

Nutri-Score is a front-of-pack nutritional label that classifies food and beverages according to their nutritional profile. It is a color-coded system with a scale ranging from A to E. It was developed by French independent scientists and approved by French authorities to be used voluntarily. The system allows a holistic understanding of the nutritional quality of a product, to enable people to make informed decisions towards healthier diets.

Front of Pack Warning Symbol is a nutrition labelling scheme which advises when the level of nutrients concern for NCDs (sugar, calories, sodium and saturated fats) exceeds what is considered a healthy amount in pre-packaged foods.

The objective of Nutritional labelling systems is to help consumers make better and informed food choices. While some FOPL schemes rate the overall nutrient quality of a product, others make emphasis on nutrients to control. But overall, the most important thing is that consumers understand the meaning of these schemes and how they work, so they can use them correctly to compare and be in control of their shopping habits.

We’re proud of our products, but always look for ways to improve their nutritional profile. Over the last 19 years we've reformulated our portfolio to bring more whole grain & fibre, less salt & sugar, and removal of artificial colors & flavors. Read more

Having whole grain as the main ingredient across our cereal range brings nutritional benefits like fibre that contributes to the great scores on some of our cereals. Also, our continued recipe improvements play their part, depending on the product. Read more

We are committed to implementing the relevant FoPL system requested by the authorities in each country. Whether it be the Health Star Rating system (HSR), Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL), Reference Intakes (RIs) or Warning Symbol. Read more here.

No Cheerios^® in the UK are made with natural whole grains so each bowl is naturally high in fibre, but includes ingredients that are not suitable for coeliacs (oats, wheat and barley). The Nestlé^® GoFree^® cereal range is 100% gluten free, offering great taste with ingredients suitable for people who are gluten intolerant. Take a look!

Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), is the maker of Nestlé Breakfast Cereals. CPW was founded by Nestlé and General Mills in 1990 and the company’s reach is global with around 4’000 employees spanning 15 factories and 130 different countries around the world.

Looking for kid-friendly breakfast ideas that even picky eaters can get onboard with? Click here to find inspiration to make the most important meal of the day, the most exciting one! You'll also find Recipes to find other ways to eat our breakfast cereals

By 2025 100% of our packaging designed for recycling (moving from 85% widely recyclable, 13% designed for recycling, and 2% not recyclable). Currently, 98% of our packaging is designed for recycling. Read more here.

Whole grain provides a range benefits – fibre, carbohydrates, proteins, some lipids and B vitamins, Minerals and antioxidants. You'll find at least 8g of whole grain per 30g serving from any of our breakfast cereals with the Nestlé Green Banner! 

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Every grain grows whole grain, but a grain is only a whole grain if it has all three parts intact which are all full of nutrients - this includes:

• The bran

• The endosperm (starchy centre)

• The germ (the core with the seed)

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We produce corn flakes & rice pops, with availability differing across markets. They’re suitable for people looking for great-tasting breakfast cereal with no gluten, for example people with Coeliac Disease or gluten intolerance. For more detail click here.

Coeliac disease is a lifelong autoimmune disease, caused by the immune system reacting to gluten. Read more about a gluten free breakfast.

The general name for proteins found in cereal grains such as wheat. It holds the food together, like a ‘glue’, and gives dough its elasticity. Read more about a gluten free breakfast.

Over the last 19 years, our teams have been continuously working on improving our recipes: increasing the amount of whole grain, lowering the sugar and salt, and removing artificial colors and flavors. Read more here.

Approximate cereal portion guidance is: 25 to 30 grams for children and 30 to 45 grams for adults. To be sure about your product, check the packaging. Read more here.

You should have a mix of carbohydrates, fibre, protein, vitamins & minerals, and you can choose pretty much what you like, as long as you pick from the different food groups: grains, fruit and dairy - and of course a glass of water. Read more

We’re proud of our products, but know we have to go further. We want to live up to our consumers’ expectations and continue to make our breakfasts better – creating nutritious cereals which still offer the great taste our consumers love. Read more

Breakfast is part of a healthy and balanced diet:

• 99% of the portfolio has 3g or more fiber per 100g
• Over 76% of our cereals have equal to or less than 2 teaspoons of sugar (7.5g) per 30g serving
• 95% of our cereals have less than 450mg of sodium per 100g"

About 50%, which is about the same as products like butter. However, we only use small amounts of palm oil in most of our breakfast cereals, meaning no significant impact on the amount of saturated fat in our products.

Yes. Some Nestlé breakfast cereals only contain a small amount of palm oil, but it does not contribute significantly to the daily intake of saturated fatty acids.

We add a pinch of salt to our cereals to improve their taste & texture. It also improves product shelf life. We have been working to reduce salt levels in our cereals over the last 15 years, already cutting salt by 25% on average. Click here to find out more.

Sugars from breakfast cereals make up around 5% of the average daily intake of added sugars for adults. Since 2013 we have reduced sugar in our products by 20%. Read more about our ingredients here.

Our cereals do contain sugar - but it isn’t the main ingredient as cereal is made mostly from grain. Since 2013 we have reduced sugar in our products by 20%. Click here to read out more about our efforts to improve the nutritional profile of our cereals.

All products that carry the Green Banner do not contain artificial colours and flavours! So if it’s tasty cocoa, luscious honey or succulent cinnamon – you won’t find any artificial colours or flavours, just a great tasting, nutritious breakfast cereal.

When cereals are ‘fortified’, it means they contain added vitamins and minerals to help our body work well. One 30g serving of a Nestlé fortified cereal can help your family get the vitamins and minerals they need every day.

Read more here

Yes, many are a source of iron, added via the fortification process. It’s a bonus for your family as research has shown that both kids and grownups who eat fortified cereals are more likely get all the minerals and vitamins they need.

Read more about Iron here

Most Nestlé breakfast cereals are usually fortified with a minimum of 5 vitamins (B2, B6, niacin or B3, pantothenic acid or B5, folic acid or B9 and, in some recipes, vitamin D), and 2 minerals (calcium and iron).

Read more here.