Robert F. Kennedy, the recently appointed health secretary for the United States, made a claim about Froot Loops cereal last week that has raised some eyebrows.
In an interview with NBC News on November 6, Kennedy said: “Why do we have Fruit Loops in this country that have 18 or 19 ingredients, and you go to Canada and it’s got two or three?”
This was directly after criticizing food regulation agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for “not protecting our kids” from harmful ingredients in ultra-processed food.
But the claim that U.S. Froot Loops contain 18 or 19 ingredients is false—as is the claim that Canadian versions of the colorful cereal contain just two or three ingredients.
In fact, both versions of Froot Loops contain 27 ingredients, including ingredients that would put the cereal firmly in the category of “ultra-processed,” linked to obesity, diabetes and other metabolic diseases.
Lisa Moskovitz, registered dietitian and founder of NY …