And the Winner for Breakfast Cereal Most Likely to Be Mistaken for Cat Food Is…

Growing up, I saw plenty of cereals trying to pass themselves off as “healthy,” but one always made me stop aghast in the cereal aisle. It didn’t look fun, it didn’t look kid friendly, it looked like something you would scoop into a bowl on the floor. When it first hit the market in 1977, nothing else looked quite like it. That unforgettable champion was Cracklin’ Oat Bran. In fact, it actually stopped me in my tracks once again today in the supermarket some 48 years later. 

I remember when this stuff showed up and how shocked I was that it was meant for actual human consumption. To my kid brain, it looked exactly like cat food. Same color, same shape, same energy. And it’s not like my mom fed us sugary junk. I grew up on Buckwheats and Wheaties, the classic “be good, eat this” cereals. But nothing in our pantry ever looked as aggressively adult as the Raisin Bran, Total, and Special K lineup. Those were the cereals that felt like they came with tax advice.

Fast forward to today, when I am actually trying to find the healthiest cereals on the shelf. Even if Cracklin’ Oat Bran were to show up at the top of that list (far from it) I still would not buy it. Heck, the cereal has so much sugar and palm oil, it negates the health benefits the fiber may have.

Yup.. that childhood image is locked in forever. Some things you cannot unsee, and for me, Cracklin’ Oat Bran will always be the cereal that looks like it belongs next to a scratching post.