February 16, 2000

DOWN HOME:
Bad news for flakes: U.S. cereal industry gets soggy
___The radio reported disturbing news the other afternoon.
___Normally, the most disturbing news at that hour is the traffic report. That news usually is bad. And--unlike most bad news people receive over the radio, in the newspaper and on TV--it's utterly unavoidable.
___It's like this: If a tractor-trailer rig full of knick-knacks, sweet potatoes and cigarettes

MARV KNOX Editor

has turned over on I-35 across from Old Restaurant Row, then several jillion of my closest friends and I are in for a long, long evening--no gifts, yams or butts.
___But this bad news struck closer to home, literally.
___Seems as if the fine family of foods from our friends in Battle Creek, Mich., has been holding up about as well as a bowl of corn flakes soaked in warm milk. Yes, indeed, the cereal industry has gotten soggy.
___Research shows that fewer and fewer people take the time to eat breakfast, the radio correspondent intoned. And those who do eat breakfast don't take the time to eat cereal.
___Cereal can't be eaten on the go. And take my word for it, it's practically impossible to eat cereal and drive. Especially if you're not one who likes to keep your neckties in the refrigerator.
___So, breakfast eaters--apparently a dying breed in fast-paced America-- have taken to eating stuff they can gobble in the car and on the bus. Like bagels and breakfast bars and donuts and soda-pop. It's probably a conspiracy of the large-clothing industry, but we'll leave that to Oliver Stone.
___Whatever the cause, cereal industry analysts are worried Cap'n Crunch will go the way of figgy pudding. This is a potential problem for our home, where three out of four Americans eat cereal regularly. Not that we eat Cap'n Crunch--only one of us would consider it--but we tank our share of other confections that, theoretically at least, stay crunchy, even in milk.
___Joanna and I prefer mixed cereals. My favorite is Honey-Nut Cheerios and Cinnamon Life, followed closely by Quaker Oat Squares and Quaker Toasted Oatmeal. The regular standby is Shredded Wheat and Bran mixed with any variety of bran flakes. Jo likes bran flakes with some sort of oat-flake thingies that go soggy as soon as you get the milk out of the fridge.
___So, now I'm eating cereal for breakfast, even when I'd rather have yogurt and a bagel. Trust me on this, it takes lots of bowls to keep the cereal industry afloat. Nutritionists say, "You are what you eat." You'll understand if I've been a bit flaky lately.
___More important, however, is that we become like that which we ponder. That's why a daily regimen of Bible study and prayer is so vital for spiritual well-being. And unlike products from Post and Kellogg's, God's word travels everywhere, and it never gets soggy.
___

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