Breakfast Cereals

part of: Corn

Breakfast cereals based on corn flakes are among the most recognisable packaged foods in the world. Made from milled corn that is cooked, flattened into thin flakes, and toasted until golden and crisp, they offer a mild, slightly sweet flavour that serves as a neutral base for milk, fruit, and other toppings.

In Australia, corn flake cereals are a breakfast staple found in most supermarket aisles. They are typically fortified with added vitamins and minerals. Beyond breakfast, crushed corn flakes are a popular coating for baked chicken, a topping for casseroles, and a key ingredient in classic no-bake treats like honey joys and chocolate crackles.

The simplicity of corn flakes — low in sugar compared to many other cereals — has helped them remain popular across generations, even as the breakfast cereal market has grown increasingly diverse.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Corn kernels are milled to remove the bran and germ, producing a starchy grits product. The grits are cooked with flavourings and sugar, then passed through heavy rollers that flatten each piece into a thin flake. The flakes are toasted in a high-temperature oven until crisp and golden, then sprayed with a vitamin and mineral fortification mix before packaging.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 388kcal
Protein 7.9g
Carbs 81.8g
Fat 1.8g
Fibre 3.8g Sugar 8.9g
Mass Distribution

1 cup (1 NLEA serving) is about 28 g — roughly 110 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon 2.79kg
Freshwater 270.66L
Land 4.29m²

Where it comes from

Made from
Corn, product

In the kitchen

Used as

ready-to-eat breakfast cereal

Classic dishes
  • Cornflakes with milk
  • Cornflake-crusted chicken
  • Cereal bar

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Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

FSANZ + USDA

How it was calculated

Analysed

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromCorn, product goes well withmilk goes well withbanana goes well withstrawberry goes well withhoney goes well withblueberry shares a sourceCereal-Based Syrups & Sweeteners shares a sourceCorn shares a sourceCorn Chips & Tortillas shares a sourceCorn Flour, Meal & Starch shares a sourceErythritol shares a sourceGlucose shares a sourceHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysates shares a sourcePopcorn
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