Product Review: Exclusive First Taste Of The New Very Berry Cheerios

A bowl of Cheerios epitomizes the wholesome American breakfast. We're usually of the opinion "why mess with a good thing?" but certain iterations of Cheerios have just worked, like how Frosted Cheerios sweeten your milk. The latest iteration of the General Mills classic cereal is Very Berry Cheerios, and we got to taste it before it hit the shelves.

The new cereal, made with "strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry fruit flakes," is out this month. The familiar oat-y taste of Cheerios is hidden under of pink- and purple-speckled sugary fruit specks. Each "O" smells strongly of dried fruit, but the overwhelming flavor is just "sweet." Rather than tasting like a bowl of berries mixed in with your Cheerios, the cereal mostly just tastes like sugar (which makes sense, since sugar and corn syrup are the second and third ingredients).

Are Very Berry Cheerios offensive? No, we'd still mindlessly munch on them while watching Netflix. But they're nothing like the classic Honey Nut variety. 

Your kids may clamor for the cereal since it's sweet and tastes vaguely of candy, but our verdict is to skip it, buy a box of original or Honey Nut Cheerios, pour a bowl, and top it with a handful of real berries. At least you'll forgo the corn syrup.