Nutritionists and the Battle Over Sugared Cereals

Nutrition Activists.

In the early 1970s, sugared breakfast cereals came under fire from several different quarters. Health care professionals attacked the poor nutritional value of the cereals. Reflecting their concerns, Sen. George McGovern issued a report arguing that "Too much fat, too much sugar or salt… are linked directly to heart disease, cancer, obesity and stroke, among other killer diseases. Six of ten leading causes of death in the United States have been linked to our diets." McGovern and physicians were concerned that a diet of sugared cereal established poor eating habits in Americans. Other critics of the breakfast cereal industry complained to the Federal Trade Commission that cereal companies were engaging in monopolistic practices and inflating prices, especially through the use of commercials aimed at children. Hunger concultant Robert Burnett Choate, Jr., linked these criticisms of the cereal companies in his...

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