Portion size

50g and 150g servings

If you're trying to maintain a healthy weight or lose a few unwanted kilos, portion sizes can make a difference.

There's a huge range of portion sizes on cereal packets. Take mueslis: Nicola's Organics 96% Fat Free Toasted Muesli has a recommended serving size of 30g while Alison Holst Decadent Delight recommends 100g. That's a huge difference.

So how realistic are serving sizes? Eight Consumer staffers poured muesli into a bowl as they would in the morning. The suggested serving size was 50g (left of picture) but only two people poured that amount. The rest poured significantly more - and two people poured 150g (right of picture).

There are no rules on food portion sizes. People's energy needs vary depending on age, gender and physical activity.

Where's my cereal gone?

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Healtheries Bircher Deluxe cereal and packaging

Consumer member Peter Ward contacted us about the excessive packaging on Healtheries Bircher Deluxe Muesli (pictured).

Peter wasn't concerned about the weight of the product - it was 420g as stated on the label, but the packet inside was less than half full. He thinks this is wasteful and deceptive packaging. Peter isn't the first to contact us about this.

Cereals are sold by weight, so manufacturers aren't doing anything legally wrong. And some cereals may "settle" during transport and storage. However, we think manufacturers are using bigger packaging mainly to create a bigger shelf presence.

Our supermarket shelves are full of excess packaging and manufacturers should be mindful of this. But not all manufacturers are at fault: wheat biscuits and porridge packets are often full to the brim and many companies are now providing sealed plastic packets so you can tell at a glance how full they are.

More from consumer.org.nz

• Children's breakfast cereals

 Report by Belinda Allan.