Kellogg’s pledges to slash salt and sugar in children’s cereals by end of 2022
Food giant Kellogg’s has pledged to cut sugar in its children’s cereals by 10% and salt by 20% as part of a decade-long plan to make its products healthier.
The move will lead to all of its children’s cereals no longer being high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) by the end of 2022.
It also plans to reduce the sugar in its Krave cereal, which it categorises as a product for young adults rather than children, by an average of 11% across the different flavours.
A reduction in salt in Special K will see it become non-HFSS, alongside Coco Pops, Corn Flakes and Rice Krispies.
It follows Kellogg’s halving the sugar in Coco Pops, which now contains 5.1g per serving, or one teaspoon, and de-listing the high-sugar product Ricicles.
The changes are part of the firm’s new Wellbeing Manifesto, which includes a new, smaller cereal box with less air space and packaging.
Kellogg’s said the new boxes will see it use almost 191 tonnes less cardboard and plastic annually.
The new boxes of cereals such as Special K and Bran Flakes will include the same weight of cereal and will roll off production lines in its factories in Manchester and North Wales this year.
Kellogg’s UK vice president Chris Silcock said: “People are rightly demanding more from companies like ours and everyone expects good food to do a world of good too. That’s why we are launching a new effort to improve our foods.
“But the impact of our food is much broader than just what goes in the box. It’s about how we grow our ingredients and the impact we have on the planet and how we cook and make our food.”
Children’s Food Campaign co-ordinator Barbara Crowther said: “We welcome Kellogg’s taking a further step towards healthier food formulations, and especially products that are particularly appealing to children and young people, like Krave.
“However, it’s not enough. Even with an 11% reduction in sugar, it still contains as much sugar as giving a child a small chocolate bar for breakfast, so is still not a healthy choice.
“Nine in 10 parents also tell us that the use of cartoon characters on food and drink packaging nudges their children to ask for more unhealthy foods, and we call on Kellogg’s to build on the commitment announced today and follow the lead of several UK retailers to also remove these from their packaging.”