Consumption of Ready-to-Eat Cereal in Canada and Its Contribution to Nutrient Intake and Nutrient Density among Canadians

Abstract

In recent years, ready-to-eat cereal (RTEC) has become a common breakfast option in Canada and worldwide. This study used the nationally representative cross-sectional data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2015-Nutrition to determine patterns of RTEC consumption in Canada and the contribution to nutrient intake among Canadians who were ≥2 years, of whom 22 ± 0.6% consumed RTEC on any given day. The prevalence of RTEC consumption was highest in children aged two to 12 years (37.6 ± 1.2%), followed by adolescents aged 13 to 18 years (28.8 ± 1.4%), and then by adults ≥19 years (18.9 ± 0.6%). RTEC consumers had higher intakes of “nutrients to encourage” compared to the RTEC non-consumers. More than 15% of the daily intake of some nutrients, such as folic acid, iron, thiamin, and vitamin B6, were contributed by RTEC. It was noted that nearly 66% of milk consumption was co-consumed with RTEC among RTEC consumers. The nutrient density of the diet, as defined by Nutrient-Rich Food Index (NRF 9.3), was significantly higher among RTEC consumers compared to non-consumers. RTEC consumption was not associated with overweight/obesity. RTEC consumption considerably contributed to the intake of some key nutrients among all age groups in Canada.

Breakfast Characteristics and Its Association with Daily Micronutrients Intake in Children and Adolescents–A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…From the 33 included articles, only 3 articles (9.1%) were longitudinal versus 90.9% of the studies ( n = 30), which were cross-sectional. From the 33 included studies, 17 were performed in representative samples of the correspondent population [ 16 , 28 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ]. Table 3 shows details of the articles, which included the impact of breakfast consumption on micronutrients intake.…”

“…Table 3 shows details of the articles, which included the impact of breakfast consumption on micronutrients intake. The studies were conducted between 1981–2018 in the following countries: United States (US) ( n = 11) [ 30 , 41 , 44 , 49 , 51 , 52 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 ], United Kingdom (UK) ( n = 5) [ 3 , 29 , 47 , 60 , 61 ], Canada ( n = 3) [ 42 , 43 , 54 ], Spain ( n = 2) [ 62 , 63 ], Australia ( n = 3) [ 45 , 46 , 53 ], México ( n = 1) [ 28 ], Ireland ( n = 1) [ 64 ], Belgium ( n = 1) [ 65 ], Cyprus ( n = 1) [ 66 ], France ( n = 1) [ 50 ], Malaysia ( n = 1) [ 67 ], Japan ( n = 1) [ 68 ], and 3 were combined European countries [ 16 , 48 , 66 ]. Data came from three sources: most of them were national health studies (60.6%) [ 3 , 28 , 30 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ...…”

“…Results of the studies have been differentiated according to the age of the participants, ranging from 2–12 years for children, and from 13–18 years for adolescents. Included studies were performed in children 39.3% ( n = 13) [ 28 , 29 , 47 , 49 , 51 , 52 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 62 , 63 , 66 , 67 ], 12.1% ( n = 4) adolescents [ 16 , 48 , 64 , 65 ], and both children and adolescents 48.4% ( n = 16) [ 3 , 30 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 50 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 68 ].…”

“…Frequency and quantity consumed per week were assessed as well as the association of its consumption with different behaviors and health outcomes. Comparison groups according to breakfast consumption and/or type of breakfast consumed were the following: ( n = 8) ‘frequency of consumption of RTEC’ [ 29 , 47 , 49 , 56 , 58 , 61 , 64 , 69 ], ( n = 8) ‘RTEC consumers versus non-RTEC consumers’ [ 46 , 48 , 50 , 54 , 57 , 59 , 62 , 67 ], ( n = 5) ‘breakfast skippers versus breakfast consumers versus RTEC consumers’ [ 41 , 42 , 44 , 45 , 52 ], ( n = 8) ‘frequency of breakfast consumption (breakfast skippers versus breakfast consumers) [ 3 , 16 , 30 , 43 , 46 , 51 , 53 , 68 ], ( n = 3) comparisons between different types of breakfast [ 28 , 55 , 66 ], ( n = 2) comparisons between nutritional composition of breakfast [ 50 , 63 ], and one of them considered breakfast quality [ 65 ]. Two studies had two comparison groups according to breakfast consumption.…”

“…RTEC include many types of cereals, refined, whole grain, sweetened, and unsweetened, but in the markets and industry predominantly exists RTEC refined and sweetened. Several previous studies recognized that RTEC consumption at breakfast is associated with a healthier diet [ 32 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 67 , 71 ] but, in a previous review, authors suggested that RTEC with functional and best nutrient profiles should be developed [ 72 ]. In another review, RTEC consumption was related with a healthier dietary pattern (DP), nevertheless, total sugar intake was also high [ 73 ].…”