You can barely see the bananas on the package, and the product itself could do with a bit more banana flavor, too.
You will think I’m a lousy sourpuss for saying this, but there are WAY too many kinds of Cheerios. But that’s because you probably don’t know how many kinds: Eleven. That’s right. With the addition of the new banana-nut flavor, you now need your toes to count the number of varieties of America’s favorite breakfast food that are currently available on store shelves.
I don’t care how much you love Cheerios. Eleven kinds? That’s insane! (There are two Yogurt Burst flavors; only one is shown.)
The other thing that’s totally sucky about Cheerios is the brand’s constant harping on the “fact” that eating it “may” reduce the risk of heart disease. SHENANIGANS and BOGOSITY! Not eating a lot of bacon may reduce the risk of heart disease, and Cheerios may a breakfast delight, but can’t cereal just be advertised as something that tastes good, even if two of the Cheerios varieties are shameless imitations Kellogg’s Froot Loops and Apple Jacks – a couple of the best-tasting bowl-and-milk horrors ever created? (See links below for the actual health claims, and why they’re the bunk.)
Aa far as eating the new variety goes, I’d say the banana taste could be more pronounced, and I’m not sure the overall concept of putting banana in the cereal itself (rather than into the bowl with cereal, as has been done since Chiquita came up with the idea, nearly a century ago – the story of the development of bananas+cereal as a recipe is in my book) is a step in a good direction. Still, I rank the product pretty high on the breakfast taste scale. Bonus points for doing it without artificial flavors. If you like Cheerios, they’re worth trying.
General Mills has a special Banana Nut Cheerios website, with a movie, nutritional info, recipes, and a 55-cents off coupon. There are also some “banana fun facts,” some of which are – if not wrong – then poorly worded (like this one: “There is no such thing as a banana tree. Bananas grow on plants.” I think what they mean to say is that bananas are an herb, or that bananas grow on what are basically stems.)
More about Banana Nut Cheerios (including coupon) here.
Crazy, hyped, manipulative nutritional claims about the cereal brand here. Info on why those claims are completely bogus here.
Bonus breakfast suggestion – thinking about Cheerios for your kids? Consider that the vampiric occult treat, also from General Mills, contains THE SAME AMOUNT OF ADDED SUGAR – twelve grams per 27 gram serving – than at least two Cheerios varieties – Apple Cinnamon and Frosted (Banana Nut comes close, with nine grams.) And much of Count Chocula’s sugar is delivered in the optimal form of marshmallows. Manufacturer’s nutritional claims for Count Chocula: none. Suggested nutritional claim: feed this to your kids and they will grow up to be INTERESTING. The image of the demonic dark lord of daybreak delight comes from Derok, and you can learn ever more here.
Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman 
I have severe OCD (now under much better control) and in the past, everytime I saw a Cheerios commercial, I would force myself to name all 8 million varieties of Cheerios. Thank goodness for Prozac.
I’m reading your book right now. (Well, not right now. I left it in the office over the weekend.) I’m enjoying it immensely. I don’t think people are enjoying my working banana trivia into every conversation.