Kelloggs Aiming for Healthier Cereal Ingredients

Kellogg Company, the world's largest leading cereal producer and top manufacturer of convenience foods, has announced that it will try to modify the ingredients in their products targeted at children to make these products healthier for consumption.

With sales last year of nearly $11 billion, Kellogg Company has established a strict nutritional goal that they are now setting for themselves. This new nutritional goal includes servings of under 200 calories, two grams of saturated fats, 230 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of sugar and zero trans fat. If they do not succeed, they will stop advertising them to those under 12 years of age. Almost 50 percent of Kellogg products are directly marketed toward children worldwide.

In a June 14 press release, Kellogg Company announced the new "front-of-package" nutrition labeling. Guidelined Daily Amounts will now appear on the top right hand corner of cereal boxes, identifying percentages of calories, total fat, sodium and grams of sugar per serving. Its own Kellogg Global Nutrient Criteria will determine which products they will market to children on television, in print, on the radio and over the Internet.

All of this recent hype and change is not because the Kellogg Company has suddenly taken a decision to down-grade childhood obesity around the world, but because the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood have both threatened to sue Kellogg Company and Nickelodeon for advertising to children. However, in light of all these recent happenings, these two advocacy groups should have been much more demanding.

At exactly this time last year, Great Britain's independent media regulator Ofcom has restricted television advertising, aimed towards children, of food and beverage products that are high in fat, salt and sugar, to combat the rise of clinical obesity among British children.

The media regulator Ofcom has also prohibited the use of celebrities and licensed cartoon characters to endorse junk-food products. Barred also are promotional offers and health claims in junk-food product ads aimed at children.

Kellogg president and Chief Executive Officer David Mackay said in the June 14 press release: "The initiatives we're announcing today set a new standard of responsibility and are consistent with our 100-plus-year heritage, further strengthening our commitment to helping consumers make informed food choices."

The Kellogg cereal that is on the market that already follows the Global Nutrient Criteria for Kellogg Corporation is in fact Kellogg's Corn Flakes, which surpasses Kellogg's Rice Krispies because the Kellogg's Rice Krispies contains a high salt content. A 28 gram serving of Kellogg's Corn Flakes contains 100 calories, 2 grams of sugar, 200 milligrams of sodium and zero trans fat.