Cereals & cereal bars: better granolas, cheaper flakes.(Buyers guide)

Publication: Consumer Reports

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COPYRIGHT 2006 Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.

Is Tony the Tiger worth his stripes? Maybe not. For about half the price, you can buy a Kellogg's Frosted Flakes knockoff that's almost as grrreat.

Our tests showed that the same is true for imitators of General Mills Cheerios and Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats. Details of our taste-off of famous brands vs. private labels are on the facing page.

If those top-selling cereals aren't your bag, check out the results of our taste tests of 16 granolas and six cereal bars, both of which are selling like, well, hotcakes. But buyer beware: Some have lots of fat and sugar. Our test results will guide you to more healthful, tastier, best-priced choices from among a wide range of cereals. Here's what we found:

* Malt-O-Meal, a small, lower-cost brand sold nationwide, makes toasted oats, frosted flakes, and frosted mini-wheats that are about as good as the best-known brands. Mini-wheats from Kroger's, a supermarket brand, were as good as Kellogg's and cost $2.02 per box, vs. $3.85.

* Two granolas are especially tasty: Nature's Path Organic FlaxPlus Pumpkin and Trader Joe's Just the Clusters Maple Pecan. They're fresh, crunchy, flavorful and, like all the tested granolas, made with whole grain. They have more fiber than many others. Two granolas were CR Best Buys.

* Cereal bars are not created equal. The Kraft South Beach Diet bar we tried cost more than twice as much as a Quaker Chewy bar and has more than twice the fat. And it tastes no better.

WHAT'S IN YOUR BOWL?

More and more often, your grains come with claims. Many ready-to-eat cereals are touted as low in fat, sugar, or calories or said to include whole grain. (For a primer on that term and others related to wheat, see Talk the Talk, page 18.) It makes sense to pour those products into your bowl.

In a recent survey by the marketing research firm HealthFocus International, consumers ranked "whole grain" as second in importance on a food label only to "fresh." That may mean they're paying attention to the research: Studies have shown that whole grains can help control weight by leaving you feeling fuller. They also can...

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