I’m like a dog that won’t let go sometimes.

Doing a bit of research on the various porridge products on the market I thought I’d check the ingredients of a variety of oat based breakfast cereals.

Now, you’d think porridge was just oats. If I asked for porridge, that’s what I’d hope to get. And yet……

Ready Brek – Contains Wholegrain Rolled Oats (60%), Wholegrain Oat Flour, Calcium, Niacin, Iron, Pantothenic Acid (B5), Vitamin B6, Riboflavin (B2), Thiamin (B1), Folic Acid, Vitamin B12.

Quaker Porridge – Contains 100% Oats.

Quaker Oat So Simple – Contains Quaker Rolled Oats, Stabiliser: Lecithin (soya)

Scots Porage Oats were aparrently bought out by Quaker. I am unable to find any links to that.

So yes…With the exception of Quaker Porridge Oats which claim to be 100% rolled oats, the others reveal some interesting points of note.

Ready Brek is only 60% rolled oats with the rest bulked out by flour and additives. I imagine the flour is for the consistency and to make the cereal more palitable to children.

Why “instant” oats (Oats so simple) need soya based stabliliser and standard oats don’t I have no idea. Could it be that the microwave does things to your oats they’d rather you not know about? I have no idea.

Still, it’s very interesting. To me at least.

EDIT: Incidently, did you know that Pepsico own Quaker? Well now you do.