Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Cereal — DUMP

Munch or Dump rates Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Cereal by Kellogg's DUMP — score 17/90.

Strip away the sprayed-on vitamins and this is refined corn, a heavy sugar coat, two yellow dyes, and BHT. Sugar is the second ingredient — roughly a third of every flake. Tony the Tiger sells it to kids as athlete fuel; the label says dessert.

Why this verdict

• Sugar is the second ingredient on a two-real-ingredient list — the frosting is the product
• Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 exist purely to make corn look golden for kids; both carry EU child-behavior warning labels
• BHT, a synthetic preservative flagged as a possible endocrine disruptor, keeps the flakes shelf-stable
• Milled (degerminated) corn is refined grain — the fiber and germ are gone, so it hits like fast starch
• The 11 added vitamins are a fortification patch on nutritionally empty corn, not evidence of a healthy food

Ingredients (8)

• Milled corn (moderate) — Refined, degermed corn — fast carbohydrate with the fiber and germ stripped out.
• Sugar (moderate) — Added for sweetness, can contribute to calorie content.
• malt flavor (moderate) — Barley-derived flavoring — adds a touch more sugar and brings gluten with it.
• yellow 5 (avoid) — Artificial dye linked to sensitivity in some people; unnecessary here.
• yellow 6 (avoid) — Synthetic azo dye used purely for color.
• BHT (caution) — Synthetic antioxidant preservative added to protect freshness; a processing-signal additive.
• Salt (moderate) — Used in moderation, might exceed necessary amount.
• Added vitamins and minerals (safe) — Vitamin C, iron, B-vitamins, A and D added to enrich an otherwise refined base.