Kellogg’s To Cut Sugar Content In Popular Cereals

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Cereals top dog Kellogg’s are set to cut the amount of sugar in three of its top-selling cereals by between 20 and 40 percent by the middle of next year.

The cereals in question are fan favorite Coco Pops, Rice Krispies and Rice Krispies Multi-Grain Shapes. They are also planning to stop selling Ricicles while ending the on-pack promotions aimed at children on Frosties.

 

Oli Morton, UK’s managing director for Kellogg’s told Radio 5 Live’s Wake Up To Money show that “consumers are asking for a healthier way to start the day. People are eating too much sugar at breakfast and throughout the day.”

The new Coco Pops recipe is due to be introduced in July 2018 with a sugar reduction of 40%. That will mean that a 30g service of the cereal will contain 5.1g of sugar, as opposed to 9g under the current recipe.

In a statement, Kellogg’s said: “This is following a reduction of 14% earlier this year, meaning that from 2017 to 2018, it will have halved the sugar in Coco Pops.” This move has come as food companies have been put under pressure to cut sugar levels in an attempt to combat obesity.

The sugar level in Rice Krispies is due to be cut by 20% while the Rice Krispies Multi-Grain cereal will be reduced by 30% per serving. Under government recommendations, children aged between 7 and 10 years old should eat no more than 24g of sugar a day.

Dr Anna Robins of the University of Salford told the BBC’s Wake Up To Money show that “Any move to be helping the general public to make healthier choices is a good one. But I don’t think they’re going far enough to be making these cereals a healthy option in the morning.”

However, she argues that even under the new recipe for Coco Pops, children under the age of 11 would be eating one-sixth of their sugar allowance for the entire day at breakfast time alone, if eating that particular cereal. Furthermore, she claims that the 30g serving suggestion from Kellogg’s is far lower than what most people actually eat at home.

Public Health Officials in the UK published a list of sugar limits for cereals along with biscuits and chocolate bars, in an effort to make children become healthier. In March, the officials called on all food firms to reduce sugar levels by 20 percent by 2020. These guidelines come from a part of the government’s plan to control childhood obesity as set out in August 2016.

In another move, the government announced a sugar tax on all soft drinks in the UK and this move is set to come into effect in April 2018.

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