Kellogg's Frosted Flakes; Why It's Banned in Some Countries

A fine product of the Kellogg's company of Battle Creek, it was voted Michigan's Favorite Cereal. There is much more about Kellogg's Frosted Flakes than just being so darn tasty.

1) Tony the Tiger had to compete with other animals for the box cover.
2) The word “sugar” was dropped from the name due to offending people.
3) Frosted Flakes have been banned in other countries.

Call that particular Kellogg's cereal anything you want – leave out a word or two of the name if you desire – but for me, it will ALWAYS be referred to as “Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes”. That's right...I said the bad word: “sugar”. Let's take one at a time:

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TONY THE TIGER
Tony's first appearance was in 1951 when Sugar Frosted Flakes were created in Battle Creek, competing with other animals for mascot: Elmo the Elephant, Katy the Kangaroo, and Newt the Gnu. Leo Burnett was the man who won the winning sketch of “Tony the Tiger”. Thurl Ravenscroft, who sings the Christmas song “You're a Mean one, Mister Grinch” was the voice of Tony the Tiger until he passed away in 2005. The phrase “they’re gr-r-r-reat!” was based on a tiger's growl (Tony's, in this case).

NO MORE SUGAR
The cereal debuted in 1951 as “Sugar Frosted Flakes” and it stayed that way for 32 years. Thirty-two years...and then the word “sugar” was dropped from the name. Did that mean no sugar? NO. Did that mean less sugar? YES. Does that mean Frosted Flakes don't taste as sweet anymore? NO. Frosted Flakes are as sweet as they ever were, just with less sugar. So why?

In the early 80s, sugar was getting a bad rap and making health-conscious people leery about buying any product with the word “sugar” in the title...even though there was sugar in it, they just didn't want to see the actual word. Weirdsville, man. So in 1983, “sugar” was dropped from the name. And to top that off, they added fiber to the flakes to appeal to the adults. Kids don't wanna see “fiber” on the box...they wanna see “sugar”!

FROSTED FLAKES BANNED IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Why is this? What's so harmful about the flakes? The sugar? That scary tiger on the box? It's a product of a capitalistic regime? Frosted Flakes happen to be banned in all of the European Union and Japan. Why? According to Sporked.com, because of added preservatives like BHT - Butylated Hydroxytoluene, to be exact. BHT is a compound known for its antioxidants. Even more yummy is that BHT is also used in cosmetics, embalming fluid, and gas.

No matter to me. Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes have always been my favorite cereal, served with sliced bananas and half & half...and I'll continue to eat it.