This is how much sugar is packed into South Africa’s favourite cereals
The World Health Organisation recommends that adults limit their sugar intake to no more than six teaspoons per day, approximately 30 grams, which is equivalent to the sugar content found in many popular cereals.
Cereals have traditionally been a popular breakfast choice for South Africans of all ages, but over the last few years, there has been a clear shift toward healthier options, with brands reducing sugar and introducing more health-conscious products.
BusinessTech analysed nearly 40 cereals available in South Africa to assess their sugar content. We found that 13 cereals contained 25 grams or more of sugar per 100 grams – that is equivalent to a quarter of each serving.
This is a significant increase from 2024, when BusinessTech recorded only nine out of 90 cereals that exceeded 25 grams of sugar (per 100g).
Although several cereals have sugar levels over 25 grams per 100 grams, there is still a reduction in sugar levels among the cereals analysed.
For example, Bokomo’s Creme Soda Otees, which previously had the highest sugar content at 38.6 grams per 100 grams, contain 32.5 grams of sugar since 2024.
Bokomo’s Bubblegum Otees, however, now ranks as the cereal with the highest amount of sugar, sitting at 33.6 grams per 100 grams – that is over one third of sugar.
Bubblegum Otees have seen an 8.5% increase in sugar levels since 2024, up from 25.1 grams per 100 grams.
This is followed by Kellogg’s Strawberry Pops and Kellogg’s Coco Pops, both sitting at 33.1 grams per 100 grams.
Other popular cereals with higher sugar content include Kellogg’s Coco Pops Big Five at 33 grams and Kellogg’s Frosties at 32.8 grams (per 100 g).
On the healthier side, five out of the 37 cereals have less than 10 grams of sugar per 100 grams.
Oatso Easy Original has the lowest sugar content since 2024, with only 1 gram per 100 grams.
This is followed by Futurelife’s Smart Food Zero Original, at 1.3 grams of sugar per 100 grams, remaining the same since 2024.
Popular cereals like Jungle’s Oats, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Bokomo’s Weet-Bix, and Nestle’s Cheerios Oat all contain less than 10 grams of sugar per 100 grams.
Otees Bubblegum – 33.6g of sugar per 100g
Strawberry Pops – 33.1g of sugar per 100g
Coco Pops – 33.1g of sugar per 100g
Coco Pops Big Five – 33g of sugar per 100g
Frosties – 32.8g of sugar per 100g
| Cereal | Brand | Sugar (g/100g) | Energy (kJ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otees Bubblegum | Bokomo | 33.6 | 1,705 |
| Strawberry Pops | Kellogg’s | 33.1 | 1,502 |
| Coco Pops Original | Kellogg’s | 33.1 | 1,453 |
| Coco Pops Big 5 | Kellogg’s | 33.0 | 1,453 |
| Frosties | Kellogg’s | 32.8 | 1,430 |
| Otees Cream Soda | Bokomo | 32.5 | 1,703 |
| Milo Energy | Nestlé | 29.3 | 1,625 |
| Coco Pops Fills | Kellogg’s | 28.9 | 1,063 |
| Froot Loops original | Kellogg’s | 28.0 | 1,479 |
| Crunchalots Fillows Strawberry | Jungle | 28.0 | 1,876 |
| Crunchalots Fillows Chocolate | Jungle | 27.0 | 1,834 |
| ProNutro Chocolate | Bokomo | 25.7 | 1,487 |
| Coco Pops Chocos | Kellogg’s | 25.5 | 1,475 |
| Cheerios Honey | Nestlé | 24.9 | 1,590 |
| ProNutro Strawberry | Bokomo | 24.6 | 1,496 |
| Coco Pops Crunchers | Kellogg’s | 23.6 | 1,389 |
| Milo Duo | Nestlé | 23.6 | 1,635 |
| Rice Krispies Strawberry | Kellogg’s | 23.3 | 1,524 |
| Crunchalots Fillows Original | Jungle | 23.2 | 1,745 |
| Otees Original | Bokomo | 21.9 | 1,511 |
| ProNutro Whole Wheat | Bokomo | 21.6 | 1,464 |
| Oatso Easy Chocolate | Jungle | 20.2 | 1,738 |
| Muesli Mixed Berries | Jungle | 19.3 | 1,739 |
| Granola Fruit Mix | Kellogg’s | 19.1 | 1,773 |
| Smart Life Chocolate | Futurelife | 17.3 | 1,494 |
| Rice Krispies Vanilla | Kellogg’s | 17.1 | 1,662 |
| Special K | Kellogg’s | 16.7 | 1,301 |
| Smart Food Original | Futurelife | 15.8 | 1,492 |
| Smart Food Lite | Futurelife | 14.6 | 1,430 |
| All Bran Flakes | Kellogg’s | 12.9 | 1,054 |
| Cheerios Oat | Nestlé | 9.0 | 1,608 |
| Corn Flakes | Kellogg’s | 7.9 | 1,355 |
| Weet-bix | Bokomo | 2.9 | 1,480 |
| Muesli Dark Chocolate | Alpen | 1.8 | 1,563 |
| Oats | Jungle | 1.5 | 1,584 |
| Smart Food Zero Original | Futurelife | 1.3 | 1,528 |
| Oatso Easy Original | Jungle | 1.0 | 1,605 |
South Africa’s sugar solution
In 2023, the Department of Health proposed amendments to the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, inviting public comments on the Regulations Relating to the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs.
The draft, which remains approved, builds on existing rules regarding product packaging, such as ingredient lists and sell-by dates, while also introducing new measures to modernise food advertising practices.
Most significantly, the department aims to require large warning labels on high-sugar and high-fat foods and prevent these products from being marketed to children.
The department advocates for mandatory front-of-package labelling (FOPL) on all pre-packaged foods containing added saturated fat, added sugar, or added sodium, especially if they surpass the specified nutrient limits for total sugar, sodium, or saturated fatty acids.
For sugar content, the warning labels would apply to foods containing more than 10.0 grams per 100 grams – that’s 30 out of 37 cereals from the table above.
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