A range of fake blueberries are being used in a number of retail food items, even though they contain labels or photos suggesting that they contain real blueberries.
The Consumer Wellness Center reports that these "blueberries" are actually a mixture of sugar, corn syrup, starch, hydrogenated oil, artificial flavors and artificial food dyes blue No. 2 and red No. 40. The companies that use the fake blueberries include well-known manufacturers such as Kellogg's, Betty Crocker and General Mills
According to the Los Angeles Times:
"... [T]he fakes were found in bagels, cereals, breads and muffins. Some products contain real blueberries mixed with fakes. For example, the blueberry bagels sold at Target contain some real berries but the 'blueberry bits' listed in the ingredients aren't real blueberries ... Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats Blueberry Muffin variety has no blueberries but does have 'blueberry flavored crunchies' made from the sugar-and-dye concoction mentioned above."