Thanks to an anonymous poster on my blog I finally managed to get my hands on a box of the new UK release of Kellogg's Limited Edition Froot Loops. I found them in a local shop which is part of the Premier Stores group. They seem to have beaten all the major supermarkets in stocking this limited edition cereal, at least in my local area.
Kellogg's have previously said that they have "adapted the recipe of Froot Loops specifically for the UK market", so they will obviously taste a bit different to the US version. The first thing I noticed is the "Made with natural flavours & colours" on the front of the box. The UK version is coloured using fruit and vegetable extracts, by contrast the US version is full of artificial colours and therefore much more colourful!
Don't tell your kids that the UK version contains spinach, nettle, blackcurrant and carrot extracts. Ssshh they'll never know! There are only 3 colours of 'loops' in the UK version - green, purple and orange. The US ones have 6 different colours.
I was a bit worried that my kids might think the cereal was not colourful enough, but since they don't know any different they thought the colours were fine. A real treat compared to the usual plain or chocolate looped cereals available. They both ate all the cereal in their bowls with great gusto. I've even put some in a tupperware and let them eat it as a snack without milk, which they also enjoyed. Obviously this is still a sugary cereal but I have no doubt it is not as sweet as the US version (see ingredients list below!).
The good thing about the improved ingredients is that parents might feel happier about giving this to their children. However adult fans of the US Froot Loops may be disappointed by the difference in colour and taste. I for one hope that this cereal is here to stay, otherwise I'm going to have to stock up on a lot of boxes!
The UK Froot Loops ingredients are: Cereal Flours (Oat, Wheat, Maize), Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Salt, Natural Citrus Flavouring with other Natural Flavourings, Plant Extracts (Nettle, Spinach), Fruit and Vegetable Extracts (Carrot, Blackcurrant), Colour (Paprika Extract). Along with various Vitamins & Minerals.
The US Froot Loops ingredients are: Sugar, whole grain corn flour, wheat flour, whole grain oat flour, oat
fiber, soluble corn fiber, contains 2% or less of partially hydrogenated
vegetable oil (coconut, soybean and/or cottonseed), salt, red 40,
natural flavor, blue 2, turmeric color, yellow 6, annatto color, blue 1,
BHT for freshness.
This is an excellent find. I'm off to my local Premier Store! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the individual flavours? Or are they just general fruity goodness?
ReplyDeleteThere is a slight fruitiness to them, a bit like a boiled sweet. Nothing more specific than that. I couldn't detect any difference in flavour between the various colours. The overall flavour is sugary sweetness.
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you think of the flavours if you try it. :)
I bought 6 boxes from Nisa in the hope that I wouldn't have to pay over £7 for the US imported produtc- What a mistake the UK version isn't fit to feed my dog. Once again the Brithish consumer has been short changed with an inferior product
DeleteThese sound good! I had never heard of Premier Stores though but a quick search and apparently there is one round the corner from my house...result! Thanks for this review, I am off to get some of these tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteThanks, exactly the same thing happened to me! I'd never heard of Premier Stores, googled them and found out there is one on my road! I live on quite a long road but I was still surprised I'd never noticed it before. I think I'll be popping in there a lot from now on...
DeleteI hope you manage to find some Froot Loops too!
I found some Froot Loops YEY! My hubby found them in Tesco on the weekend. Haven't tried them yet but once I do I will post a review. Thanks for your review as I would never have known they were in the UK otherwise!
DeleteThat's great, so glad you found some! Look forward to your review on them. Most people seem to be disappointed because they are nothing like the US ones.
DeleteI finally got round to trying the Froot Loops. I thought they were really nice! I have never tried the US version so can't comment on how they compare but they were sweeter than I expected and sweet is always a good thing in my book.
DeleteI eat cereal straight from the box as I can't stand milk and these will make a nice snack so thank you for recommending them!
My nearest Premier Store was about 10 min walk from my house. I am now the proud owner of my own box of Froot Loops. I will crack it open tomorrow morning. What better way to start Monday morning?
ReplyDeleteThat's brilliant! I hate Monday mornings but that's bound to brighten your day!
DeleteIt's great that we have discovered a local shop through this cereal. It can't be long before Froot Loops start to hit all the major supermarkets though.
Let me know what you think of the cereal and if you enjoyed it! :)
I saw these in my local Waitrose on Friday and couldn't believe my eyes. I grabbed a couple of boxes with glee. A little disappointed when I opened the box to find only 3 colours (hence googling and coming to here) but they taste good!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting that they are now available in Waitrose. I'll have to go and stock up on a few more boxes! :)
DeleteI found them in tescos yesterday, they are nothing like froot loops and i am very disappointed. The 2 boxes i have are going back to the shop and i will be placing an order to get real froot loops with marshmallows delivered from amazon.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know that they are now in Tesco, I still haven't seen them in the major supermarkets. I can understand why you are disappointed, they are nothing like the US ones, but they are a healthier version.
DeleteThese fruit loops are really quite disgusting compared with the American ones.
DeleteA massive disappointment.
The box we have that has been opened is going back to Kelloggs.
I bought four boxes and was very excited, but we are all so disappointed - they are nowhere near as sweet and fruity as we remembered - I won't bother until we next visit America!
DeleteI am on my second box and I love them! although I wouldn't mind trying the American ones It gives me some confidence that the uk will only stock a healthier version of the cereal as this kind of cereal is mainly aimed at children, as for us adults, it wouldn't hurt us to have the healthier version? if we start eating like the Americans we might start looking like them :/.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you, as a parent I'm glad that Kelloggs has to produce a healthier version for the UK market. Even though I enjoy US cereals once in a while I don't let my kids eat them. The US version is full of artificial colours and the first ingredient is sugar!
DeleteA lot of people have been very disappointed though so perhaps Kelloggs shouldn't have called them Froot Loops to avoid confusion.
I hope the UK version is around to stay but if not, I'll be stocking up on a few boxes. My kids loved them.
Kellogs certainly shouldn't have called them 'Froot Loops'. There is no similarity, even the hole the in middle is different!
DeleteI first encountered US froot loops when I was a kid on holiday and they always stuck in my mind. I managed to get some a few years ago and they are pure sugar but absolutely delicious.
ReplyDeleteTried the UK verson last week and it sadly is a lot different. In saying that I think anyone new to the brand will enjoy them as they compare favourably with other cereals on the shelf. Just unfortunate for those of us who loved the original US ones.
i love both versions but you can buy the US ones at american sweet shops i know there are some in cardiff, bristol and other places
ReplyDeleteMsssively disappointed. Ok .. the US version is less healthy but there was a reason why I loved them.. for the US taste.. and these don't taste the same. They are a much watered down version of the originals. Great for kids though.. just not the Loops I know and love!
ReplyDeleteBowls of disappointment, no love for this new recipe thing...I thought new recipes should improve the taste, these taste like slightly moldy cheerios. Why change the recipe???I liked Froot loops the way they were I know they weren't healthy but lets be honest if you want to eat healthy you probably won't buy Froot loops in the first place?
ReplyDeleteApparently Kelloggs have withdrawn them from the UK market, but I got some in Aldi. Lovely taste, however I've found out since (to my demise!!) That one of the ingredients in the natural flavours is likely to be blueberry, and unfortunately I'm allergic to them :'(
ReplyDeleteHow can anybody like these? They are hard as rocks and taste horrible. US version please or GTFO.
ReplyDeleteI hate the UK version of Froot Loops. It looks and tastes like dog food!! I wish they had just made it like the US version, a sickly sweet sugar-bomb.
ReplyDeleteI would not feed this to my cats - the UK version is the same product in name only - the colours are different, the taste is ATTROCIOUS. My wife has just kindly brought me a couple of packs back from the states - I might add at $2.69 - as against £2.69 for the UK cardboard version. Not only do they have the nerve to palm this stuff off as the real thing, which it is not - they actually CHARGE MORE!!! I've been known to pay £7 to get the real thing - and I can't blame the small dealers for charging so much as import costs are probably high. The EU and Tesco have a lot to answer for - not least trades descriptions - the UK product is NOT Froot Loops.
ReplyDeleteMy kids could tell the difference - they hate the UK version! Waste of money - if anyone wants a free unopened box - I've got one!!
ReplyDeleteI first came across Foot Loops when I visited Canada as a kid and absolutley loved them (and im assuming those were the same as the US version that everyone has mentioned) and everyone in the household (there were alot us as we went for a wedding) got to know of my love for them, my Aunty use to send them every so often whenever anyone visited so I have very fond memories of them. Unfortunately the UK version didnt live up to my expectations, less colourful, less sweet which meant they were less fun, disappointed with these to their across the pond counterpart however they do compare better than many current UK cereals
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely loved Fruit Loops in USA probably 10 years ago. I did write to Kellogs when we returned home to see if there was any chance of them being sold in the UK. I didn't get so much as a reply!! More recently was able to buy some in a UK supermarket and they tasted like chaff. No flavour at all. Ended up throwing them away. Was in USA 2 years ago and was able to enjoy proper flavours in USA Fruit Loops. Guess the only thing to do is take a spare suitcase and bring some home next time we go. Will certainly NOT be wasting my money on the UK version again.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Katherine!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Bridget Thompson and I am a Production Assistant on The Dr. Oz Show in New York City. We were hoping to use your images in this post (http://grocerygems.blogspot.com/2012/07/kelloggs-froot-loops-limited-edition-uk.html?showComment=1453476818694) in a segment we are taping next week about the difference between US and UK food dye standards and froot loops are a product we are going to talk about. Would we be able to use the pictures? Please let me know either way to bthompson@zoco.com or 212-259-1569.
Thank you!!