The functional food category of protein cereal has become significantly larger than it was, say, five or so years ago, with many well-established names in the business and with plenty of competition, and this isn’t exclusive to the US; the UK market has plenty to choose from, too. The most important part is creative brands have been able to communicate and accommodate the higher price that comes with functional foods.
Most of the protein cereals out there are from nutrition companies or product-dedicated brands, but this week, the completely new high-protein breakfast cereal we have in headlines is from neither. The food giant General Mills has introduced Wheaties Protein featuring about four times the protein and almost a third less the sugar of regular Wheaties. The nutrition profile on a 64g serving of the item starts with 21 to 22g of protein, then 10 to 12g of fat, 28g of carbohydrates, 5 to 6g of fiber and 6g sugar, and 270 to 280 calories.
Similar to the classic Wheaties breakfast cereal, the main ingredient in Wheaties Protein is whole grain wheat, but instead of sugar, the high-protein alternative’s next few components are soy isolate, pumpkin seeds, coconut, wheat bran, and, depending on the flavor, pecans and honey or almonds and maple syrup. The flavors General Mills has debuted its nut-clustered flakes Wheaties Protein in are Honey Pecan and Maple Almond, the latter being the one with that marginally higher 22g of protein and lower 270 calories.
It’s exciting to see a brand and legendary breakfast cereal like Wheaties go the route of sports nutrition and pack a product full of protein with Wheaties Protein. General Mills proudly claims the functional food will be the highest protein offering in the crowded cereal aisle, and it is making its way into those aisles later this month at Walmart. Wheaties Protein will also have a very reasonable price tag compared to the growing number of competitors on the market at $8.99 for a box that’s just over 1lb and works out to seven servings.
