Last week, Life, Inc. reported on the demise of Cap'n Crunch. This seems like a trivial matter--kid's cereals come and go all the time--but it's not. Cap'n Crunch seems to be the victim of Michelle Obama's policies to make our children healthier. Michelle Obama's policies??? Who elected her?
Cap'n Crunch has12 grams of sugar per serving.
The article points out:
"Cap'n Crunch was once the No. 1 breakfast cereal, but pressure from the White House and health activists is having an effect on how PepsiCo and other food companies peddle their products to kids. Sales of the cereal were down 6.8 percent in 2010."
Just to complicate things, Ad Age reported on Wednesday:
"Reports of Cap'n Crunch's demise are greatly exaggerated," Quaker said in a statement to Ad Age. "In fact, we just launched an official Facebook page for Cap'n Crunch. Now that our Cap'n Crunch brand is in the social-media space, our adult consumers can stay up to date on all things Cap'n Crunch."
"The rumors apparently started with this article on Daily Finance, which speculated that Quaker was easing the captain into retirement, pointing out that he does not appear on Quaker's main website. And along the choppy seas that is the internet, the story took on a life of its own. A Fox News blog cited the Daily Finance story under the headline "Food Police Kill Cap'n Crunch," playing off the original story's suggestion that pressure from the federal government -- including first lady Michelle Obama's anti-obesity campaign -- "may explain why the Cap'n is less visable than he was in years past.""
OK. It looks as if Cap'n Crunch is getting at least a temporary reprieve. The food police have suffered a temporary setback. In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that I have never tasted Cap'n Crunch. I have always been more of a mini-wheats person. However, it is good to know that the Cap'n will at least be with us for a while longer.
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