International versions of breakfast cereals

One time in Sharjah, our small neighborhood grocery store accidentally ordered the imported, US variety of Honey Nut Cheerios instead of the locally made variety. I bought one box, got home, realized what I had, and immediately went back and bought all the rest of the boxes on the shelf (unfortunately there were only like five left).

Why? Because US breakfast cereals and international breakfast cereals are different, EVEN WHEN THEY ARE THE SAME. Multigrain Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Regular Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs (Nesquick here), Cinnamon Toast Crunch (Cini Minis here). If you buy these cereals in the US, they taste different than if you buy them outside of the US (or at least in the Middle East and Finland). Something about US-made Cheerios and other cereals tastes so much better than their international counterparts. It’s like…do you remember how Kix used to taste before about 2006ish? It’s like the difference between pre-2006 Kix and post-2006 Kix - the texture is a little off, the aftertaste is a bit weird, they go mushy faster in the milk, but they are still Kix…I guess.

Yesterday here in Finland I opened up a new box of Regular Cheerios and started eating a bowl and I almost gasped because the box looked the same as it always has in Finland but the Cheerios in my mouth were AMERICAN. And the best part is that there were still the dregs of another box left in the pantry, so I finally got to compare them side by side.

Finnish cheerios on the left. American cheerios on the right.

Finnish cheerios on the left. American cheerios on the right.

You can see the difference too, right? Let’s take a look at the ingredients and nutrition information (Finnish cheerios on the left).

The nutrition information is identical. Doesn’t bode well for there being a material difference. But!!!!! Have a look (Finnish cheerios on the left).

It looks like our secret ingredient - the thing that makes even Finnish-purchased Cheerios taste American - is good old “emulgointiaine (rasvahappojen mono- ja diglyseridit)” (something like “emulsifier (mono- and diglyceride fatty acids)”).

The only remaining mystery is why these Cheerios that taste so American to me…actually don’t match the ingredients that Cheerios lists on their US website. Maybe they changed the recipe of those US Cheerios in the period of time since I ate US Cheerios regularly?

I also wonder whether this box of American-tasting Cheerios is a fluke or my new normal. Time will tell!