Reader Food Panel: Cereal Straws add fun to breakfast

What do kids love more than sugary cereals? Fruity or chocolate-flavored cereal tubes to help them slurp up the very last of the flavored milk in the bowl.

Kellogg’s new Cereal Straws even brought out the inner child of some of the adult tasters at our annual back-to-school reader food panel. Others turned up their noses at the snack tubes.

“I would eat these every day,” Katie Kazanis, told her mom. Her favorite were the Froot Loops flavored straws.

Her brother Drew, liked the Cocoa Krispies straws better: “I love the way they turn into chocolate milk.”

The kids dipped and dunked the straws. They tried slurping milk through them. But mostly they crunched wafer cookies like a snack.

“It’s delicious! Even my grandpa likes them! You get to eat the straw!” said 12-year-old Bryton Martin.

The reaction of the adults on our panel ranged from delight to dismay.

“I really liked these. I am sure they are nutritionally deficit but they are good. Is that frosting in the middle?” said Marcia Oranen.

Tina Johnson said she might use her straw with her morning coffee instead of cereal.

“A chocolate straw is a great idea,” she said. “I’d try it with espresso instead of milk.”

“What a great way to get kids to finish the milk in the bowl,” said Marilyn Moore.

For others the whole idea seemed kind of strange.

“Different colors, same boring flavor,” Skip Hubbard said of the Froot Loops straws. “Just because you can drink your milk through them doesn’t mean you should buy them.”

Andy Hoye was right when he said the kids might like them better than the adults.

“Less flavor than you might expect … but fun for kids,” he said.

Some of the adult tasters expected the 6-inch wafer straws to change the flavor of the milk with their candylike lining, but most said it didn’t work.

“(There’s) no difference in flavor until you actually eat it,” said Nancy Robinson.

Froot Loops Cereal Straws

Price: $3.99 per 8.8-ounce box, 24 straws

Nutrition per serving: 140 calories, 3.5 grams fat (2 grams saturated, 23 percent fat calories), 2 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, no dietary fiber, 15 milligrams sodium.

Kids

Taste: “ “ “ “ 1/2

Comments: “It’s delicious! Even my grandpa likes them! You get to eat the straw!” – Bryton Martin, 12

“They’re delicious. I would eat these every day.” – Katie Kazanis, 6

Adults

Taste: “ “ “

Value: “ “

Comments:

“Tasty but the fruit flavor is in the wafer and doesn’t change the milk.” – Andy Hoye

“Same texture and flavor as the flaky wafer cookies. They look like a fat straw that you can suck milk through.” – Jenny Whittaker

“Nice vivid flavor, unique idea of a great way to have kids drink their milk, doesn’t get soggy. (There’s) no difference in flavor until you actually eat it.” – Nancy Robinson

“Novel, fun and very filling. Probably not how adults would want their cereal.” – Larry Inman

Cocoa Krispies Cereal Straws

Price: $3.99 per 8.8-ounce box, 24 straws

Nutrition per serving: 140 calories, 3.5 grams fat (2 grams saturated, 23 percent fat calories), 2 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 15 milligrams sodium.

Kids

Taste: “ “ “

Comments: “Yuck. Tastes like dark chocolate.” – Pierce Hubbard, 7

“I love the way it turns into chocolate milk.” – Drew Kazanis, 9

Adults

Taste: “ “ “ 1/2

Value: “ “

Comments: “Can these be filled with chocolate? Yummy! Tastes like a sugar ice cream cone.” – Marcia Oranen

“Slightly better than the (Froot Loops) ones but still absolutely pointless.” – Skip Hubbard

“These are similar to waffle cones in flavor, color and texture.” – Jenny Whittaker

“Kids would love these. A straw you can eat.” – Larry Inman

“Strange concept but it’d make the milk go down easier.” – Peggy Kazanis