Kellogg have announced that they are cutting the amount of sugar present in some of their cereals aimed at children.
They will reduce the sugar content in three of their best-selling breakfast cereals by up to 40%.
Better Starts Plan
The Better Starts Plan is all about getting their breakfast range to a healthier level, prompted by proposed regulations from the government as well as a growing concern into the amount of sugar present in children’s foods.
The Coco Pops cereal range will see a 40% reduction of sugar, from g per 100g to 17g. This is on top of an earlier 14% reduction in sugar this year. Rice Krispies will get a cut of 20% less sugar in an already low-sugar product, making it one of the lowest amounts of any Kellogg products and one of the lowest cereals in the UK.
The Rice Krispies Multi-Grain Shapes cereal will also see a reduction of 30%. The team with chef jobs at the firm have clearly been working hard to make sure they can produce the same great taste but with less of the ingredients that make it an unhealthy choice.
Oli Morton, managing director of Kellogg in the UK, said: “We recognise, based on national dietary survey data, that people are eating too much sugar at breakfast and throughout the day and that people need more options, such as organic and vegan. That’s why today we are announcing more changes to our foods so that we can continue to support people in making better choices. Our shoppers have told us that taste is still important to them so we’ve worked hard to ensure that our new recipes are just as delicious.”
Salt falling too
Sugar isn’t the only thing that Kellogg’s are determined to tackle. They will also be reducing their levels of salt in 2018. This starts with taking out 10% of the salt in Rice Krispies cereal in the UK. They will also be reducing the Rice Krispies Multi-Grain Shapes salt levels by an incredible 50%.
Other news from the firm includes the discontinuation of Ricicles cereal from January onwards, so fans should make sure to stock up before the New Year. Frosties has been revealed as more popular with adults than children in recent studies, and so the food marketing professionals at the company have decided to stop including them in children’s promotions.
The breakfast food range that the company produces will be free from artificial preservatives in 2018, and they will also be launching a new plant-based cereal range. Called WK Kellogg, it will include vegan, organic, low sugar, and no added sugar options.
Jenny Rosborough is the campaign manager at Action on Sugar. She said: “We are encouraged by Kellogg’s sugar reduction plans and the recent changes they’ve made and would now like to see this ambition rolled out across their whole portfolio of cereals. It is crucial that manufacturers take responsibility for the nutritional quality of cereals they’re selling and how they market them, particularly to children. We’d like to see Kellogg’s implement front of pack colour coded labelling to support parents in choosing their lower sugar and salt cereals more easily.”
This is not the first change to Kellogg recipes of late. In May, they cut the sugar quantities in a number of their cereal rice bar snacks, including those branded around Coco Pops, Frosties, and Rice Krispies.
Rival manufacturer Nestle are also cutting sugar in their breakfast cereals. They aim to reduce the overall load by a total of 10% by the end of 2018 as part of ongoing reformations.
