Bowled over: Why some Canadians are feeling duped by their breakfast cereal

Ken Bennett, an avid hiker and recreational hockey player, wanted a cereal packed with protein. So last month, he picked up Kellogg’s Vector. Bold lettering on the box declares that it has “high protein” — more specifically, that it “provides 13 g of protein” per serving. 

“[It’s] actually pretty high for a breakfast cereal. That’s why I bought it,” said Bennett, who lives in Chilliwack, B.C.

He felt good about his choice — until he noticed the fine print on the box one morning during breakfast. 

The fine print reveals that a serving of Vector flakes alone contains just 5.6 grams of protein. The rest of the advertised 13 grams comes from the recommended 200 millilitres of skim milk to be added to the flakes. 

“I felt tricked. I felt duped,” said Bennett. “I took it for face value that these breakfast cereal flakes had 13 grams of protein.”

As Canadians grapple with rising grocery prices, they’re becoming more concerned about food marketing tactics they believe are deceptive — including “shrinkflation” (when companies reduce the weight of a food product, but not the price or packaging), “skimpflation” (when they use cheaper ingredients but keep the price the same), and bold claims that gloss over key details.

“It really offends consumers,” said Mary L’Abbé, a nutritional sciences professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. 

“They really feel like they’re being … cheated out of their hard-earned dollars.”

WATCH | Shrinkflation adds to grocery concerns: 

Transparency needed on shrinkflation, consumer advocates say

Consumers and advocates are calling for more transparency around the practice of shrinking packaging rather than increasing prices, known as ‘shrinkflation.’ Other countries make companies display weight changes on product labels.

A recent report from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity found that out of 2,670 Canadians surveyed in July, 62 per cent had concerns about misleading food labels and marketing.

CBC News has heard from several Canadians who had gripes about cereal packaging, such as taller boxes containing less cereal, and bold statements on box labels that may not match up with what’s inside. 

Different rules for ‘meal replacement’

Canadian regulations state that food labels and advertising can’t be…