Thursday, August 21, 2008

Cocoa Puffs are Making Me Cuckoo - New Flavor of Cocoa Puffs Uses Peanut Flour!



We went to my not so favorite local grocery chain to do some basic shopping yesterday, and made an amazingly disturbing discovery. On occasion, we get Cocoa Puffs, since it is safe and chocolaty, and I sometimes even enjoy it myself. My twins were with me, and spotted this new flavor of Cocoa Puffs - chocolate and vanilla. Excited by a cocoa puff combo, they asked in their sweet whiny little way if we could get it. I agreed, and put it in my cart, quickly glancing at the ingredients out of habit. As I looked down, I thought I saw the word peanut on the ingredients. I looked at the front of the box again, and made sure it was just vanilla and chocolate, and it surely was. As I turned the box on its side to the ingredient panel, my heart fell. One of the ingredients was indeed peanut, and the product contained peanut flour.
My first thought was "they use the flowers from peanuts in their cereal?"

The flower from the peanut plant.


Then I realized they were talking about flour. Like the flour I have in my cupboard that I try and cook with. The flour that is in my yummy egg free cookies, and in my vegan egg free nut free coca cola cake.

Upon further research, I discovered that peanut flour is a dry powder formed after the partial extraction of oil from the roasted peanut seed.

Is this Mr. Peanut's evil plan to take over the world?

I never knew they made flour out of peanuts. Butter yes, but flour?? What is next, peanut sugar, peanut baking soda, or peanut juice, or maybe even peanut water. What is this world comming to??

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I recently noticed the same thing with Strawberry and Chocolate Chex both use peanut flour. I wonder what powers peanut flour has over regular flour that they choose to use it?

Unknown said...

Good catch, Jennifer! But you know what? These cereals are foods I would not buy anyways. There are already so many artificial ingredients and chemicals in these types of foods, they are not too appealing. One good thing that has come from our cooking/shopping for food allergies is that we are eating better. Now if I could just get motivated and exercise...