The more things change, the more they stay the same. Right?
Like Cheerios. The tasty little o’s in the bright yellow box have been going strong since the 1940s. What other prepared food can you buy in a grocery store today that both your mom and your kiddo could point to and say ‘that’s good’? The folks at Cheerios know not to mess with a good thing.
Cheerios, the cereal and the company, haven’t changed much in 70-some years. They’ve only gotten better.
Gotten better how? In 2002 Cheerios created a book drive. In 2013 they aired an adorable, progressive, and acclaimed commercial. In 2014, genetically modified ingredients were removed from original Cheerios. And in 2016, they are going gluten free.
That’s right. Gluten-free Honey Nut Cheerios, Multi-Grain Cheerios, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, Chocolate Cheerios and Original Cheerios started hitting shelves in Canadian stores in July.
Cheerios have always been made from oats, which are gluten free. But as anyone who has a gluten intolerance or sensitivity can tell you, ‘made from oats’ isn’t good enough because it doesn’t guarantee that the food in question hasn’t come in contact with gluten at any point and may contain traces of it. Health Canada has strict rules, and Cheerios is proud to say they meet them. You can now see that official ‘gluten free’ stamp on the front of every box.
And that’s fantastic news for moms, because in the Venn diagram of ‘cereals kids like to eat’ and ‘cereals moms approve of’, Cheerios sits alone. My own mom first gave me Cheerios when I was two years old. As a food sciences student and home ec teacher, the low sugar, oaty cereal had her stamp of approval. She was on to something, because I proceeded to eat Cheerios for breakfast every. single. day. until I left for university.
My sister and I having breakfast, circa 1992.
I’ve never had food allergies, so breakfast was easy. It was not ever a thing my mom, or I, had to worry about. And now, for thousands of other moms and kids across Canada, it can be a thing they don’t have to worry about either. Cheerios is just a safe and healthy option for them, just like it was for me. That picture above is of my sister and I in 1992, but it could just as easily be another family in 2016.
Because Cheerios don’t change. They just get better.
Michelle Reddick is the Managing Editor of SavvyMom.ca and has been eating Cheerios for 25 years.
This post is brought to you by Gluten Free Cheerios but the opinions and images are our own.
Tagged under: breakfast,food,Gluten Free,kids,healthy,celiac,Snack,cheerios,going gluten free,gluten free cheerios,no gluten
Category: food-news
