Coco Flops! Reducing sugar has ‘ruined taste’ – and only cut calorie count by one

COCO Pops have become the latest victim in the war against sugar – and it has left fans with a bad taste in their mouths.

Kellogg’s has reduced the amount of sugar and salt in their recipe in a bid to tackle childhood obesity.

But disappointed customers say the cereal now tastes ‘stale’ – and contains just one calorie less per bowl. A 30g bowl of the cereal used to contain 9g of sugar and 116 calories. It now has 115 calories and just 5.1g of sugar –a 40 per cent sugar reduction.

Kellogg’s said it now uses a ‘more premium’ cocoa which has helped to lower sugar levels. However, hundreds of customers have taken to social media to complain. Mariuh Caring tweeted: ‘Kellogg’s have reduced the sugar in Coco Pops and whilst that’s a great thing for the kids and whatever, they now taste like misery and disappointment instead of chocolate paradise.’

Another Twitter user said: ‘They tasted so stale I had to check the date on the box, that is when I saw “new and improved”. They are so dead, couldn’t finish a bowl, no way I can finish the entire box.’

Meanwhile, Matt Hammonde wrote: ‘It’s so sad seeing all my fave foods and drinks changing to appease the likes of Jamie Oliver. Coco Pops are now stale right out the box, Sugar Puffs are not even Sugar Puffs and you can’t buy Banana Yazoo or Crusha in Sainsbury’s. Blame parents for obesity, not the brands.’

Christopher Snowdon, director of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, told The Telegraph: ‘Consumers are right to be upset about their food being reformulated to hit government targets. Public Health England thinks we won’t notice when sugar is removed for food and soft drinks but the experience with Ribena, Lucozade and now Coco Pops shows how wrong they are.’

The move comes after the government threatened food companies in June with taxes or regulation if they did not do more to cut sugar.

Kellogg’s said: ‘We’re confident the small number of people who have commented on the recipe change will grow to love it.’