10 Overly Processed ’70s Breakfast Foods We Never Want To Eat Again

The 1970s saw the rise of convenient and pre-packaged breakfast options, often promising to make mornings easier and tastier. However, many of these foods relied on heavy processing, artificial ingredients, and questionable flavor choices. These ten breakfast products are a reminder of the era’s obsession with convenience over quality.

1. Carnation Breakfast Bars

Carnation Breakfast Bars were marketed as a quick and portable solution for busy mornings. While they were convenient, their flavor left much to be desired. With an overly sweet taste and crumbly texture, they didn’t feel satisfying as a meal replacement.

Packed with sugar and artificial flavors, these bars promised nutrition but offered little more than a glorified candy bar. Many consumers quickly turned back to traditional breakfasts after realizing they didn’t actually feel full after eating them.

2. Space Age Instant Breakfast

Inspired by astronaut meals, Space Age Instant Breakfast offered a powdered drink mix as a replacement for a full meal. The concept seemed exciting, but the flavors were bland, and the texture often came out gritty, no matter how much you stirred.

Advertised as nutritious and futuristic, the product failed to meet expectations. Most people found it unappealing and returned to real food after giving it a try. Its over-reliance on artificial ingredients didn’t help its reputation.

3. Kellogg’s Concentrate Cereal

Kellogg’s Concentrate was a cereal designed to pack a nutritional punch in tiny portions. A single serving was just a few spoonfuls, but it had an unpleasant texture and an overly sweet, artificial taste.

People often had to mix it with other cereals to make it tolerable, defeating its purpose. The small serving size also left most people still hungry, making it an impractical breakfast choice for growing kids and busy adults alike.

4. Eggo Flavor Waffles

Eggo introduced flavored varieties like chocolate chip and blueberry, hoping to expand their appeal. While the convenience was undeniable, the overly artificial flavoring didn’t sit well with consumers.

These waffles often tasted more like dessert than breakfast, and their sugary coating made syrup unnecessary but not optional. They became a quick option for some, but others found their processed taste hard to enjoy.

5. Tang Breakfast Drink

Tang was marketed as a fruit-flavored breakfast drink, originally popularized by its connection to NASA astronauts. Despite its appeal to kids, Tang tasted artificial and left a chalky aftertaste.

Though easy to prepare, it was far from a healthy substitute for real juice. The bright orange powder might have been fun, but the flavor didn’t live up to the hype.

6. Pillsbury Space Food Sticks

These snack-like bars were designed to mimic the experience of eating in space. While the idea intrigued kids, the reality of chewing on dense, sticky bars that tasted oddly artificial wasn’t pleasant.

Advertised as a futuristic and nutritious meal alternative, they failed to catch on with most families. Their unappealing taste and texture kept them from becoming a staple breakfast option.

7. General Mills Kream Krunch Cereal

General Mills attempted to combine cereal with freeze-dried ice cream in Kream Krunch. The idea sounded fun, but the freeze-dried pieces rehydrated into a soggy mess, and the overall flavor was strange.

Marketed as a treat for kids, it didn’t deliver a good eating experience. The overly sweet and artificial taste turned it into a short-lived flop.

8. Pop-Tarts Frosted Fruit Flavors

Pop-Tarts introduced frosted versions of their classic fruit flavors in the ’70s, adding even more sugar to an already sweet snack. While kids loved the frosting, the pastries themselves often tasted stale and overly processed.

Parents began to question whether these sugary breakfast options were worth the convenience. Despite their popularity, many grew tired of the overly artificial flavor.

9. Carnation Instant Breakfast

This powdered drink mix promised a full breakfast in a glass. While convenient, the drink was overly sweet and left a chalky residue in your mouth. It often tasted more like a dessert than a nutritious meal.

Advertised as an easy way to get essential vitamins, it left many feeling unsatisfied. Most people preferred actual food over the heavily processed mix.

10. Breakfast Squares

Breakfast Squares were marketed as a complete meal in a small, dense package. Unfortunately, their dry, chalky texture and overly sweet taste made them unappetizing.

Despite being fortified with vitamins, the bars didn’t taste natural or filling. They failed to replace traditional breakfasts, leaving consumers unimpressed with their attempt at convenience.