I'm a serious Tamil movie buff. Some of the dialogues from popular movies etti paathufy (sneak in) in my articles now and then. So sorry about that.
Junk foods review ve podaama kaanji poi irundha en blogukkuga vandhudhu Instagram sponsored ad from Kelloggs (It's been a while since I posted about any junk foods and my blog looked like a draught struck field. Thanks to Instagram sponsored ads, found this new one from Kelloggs). This time, it is the new product line titled Real thandai badam corn flakes, right in time for Holi.
In Captain Vijayakanth style, "breakfast cereal, junk foods la enakku pidikkadha mudhal vaarthai " (the junk food I hate the most is breakfast cereal)
Ok, enough of vetti pechu (trash talk). Let's get to the facts.
The front side of the packaging states "Energy from real almonds", "created by local chefs". Turn to the back side, the brand tries to invoke a nostalgic memory of drinking a glass of chilled thandai (nostalgia is a powerful emotion, exploited by creative marketers. Remember Paper Boat ads?).
Let's not fall for such traps. Let's decipher the ingredients list and nutrition facts.
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| Source: https://www.amazon.in/Kelloggs-Cornflakes-Real-Thandai-Badaam/dp/B07LC82S52/ |
Corn grits (60.5%), Sugar, Sliced Almonds (10%), Malt extract, Iodised Salt, Vitamins, Minerals,
Colours (INS 100(i), INS 160a(i)),
Condiments (Cardamom powder (0.005%), Fennel powder (0.002%)),
Antioxidant (INS 320)
- The quantity of almonds is ONLY 10% and the % of condiments is so negligible. Thandai is such a flavorful, aromatic drink with spices like cardamom, dry ginger, saffron, fennel and rose petals, not to forget the good proportion of nuts like cashew, pista, melon seeds and almonds. It is an insult to our traditional drink "thandai" to have its name being associated with such junk food.
- The second listed ingredient is Sugar. A 30 gm serving size contains 9.5 gm of sugar (around 2.5 tsp of sugar) whereas a 30 gm serving size of original Kelloggs corn flakes contains 2.5 gm of sugar (around 1/2 tsp of sugar). What a premium we are paying for the extra sugar!!
- A 30gm serving size contains a meagre 0.7 gm of dietary fibre and 1.7 gm of protein. One can get higher fibre and protein by eating 10 plain almonds. Why put our bodies through such sugar load?
- The colour INS 100(i) is the yellow colour extracted from turmeric. This is similar to the "unga toothpaste la uppu irukka?" moment (does your toothpaste contain salt?). We have been including turmeric in milk, thandai and most dishes on a daily basis. Now the global food corporations extract the colour from turmeric and sell it back to us.
These 4 reasons are more than enough to not buy such products in the first place. We deserve real food and not such gimmicks. Make a glass of real thandai and enjoy it guilt free this Holi season.