Kellogg's' response to Channel 4's Dispatches
27/10/2009

We have nothing to hide.  So, here’s all the information we provided to Channel 4's Dispatches to help them make their programme.

PRESS STATEMENT

We think people should look to the facts and beyond they hype. Research shows people who eat breakfast cereals, regardless of their sugar content, tend to be slimmer than those that don’t. The criticisms also ignore the fact that 40% of children’s calcium intake comes from their daily bowl of cereals and cereals are the main source of iron and B vitamins in the nation’s diet. At around only 170 calories a bowl – they’re also a low-cal start to the day.

Given all of the above – and the fact that one in five children skip breakfast and spend almost £650m a year on a corner-shop breakfast of crisps and sweets – we think our products could be part of the solution rather than the problem. We think shoppers understand this which is why they’ve bought our foods, of which we are hugely proud, for over 100 years.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

OPTIVITA

We only make a health claim when we can back it up with solid science and to say otherwise is misleading.

There’s established independent scientific evidence stretching back 50 years showing the benefit of oat beta glucan found in Kellogg’s Optivita on lowering cholesterol (there are hundreds of studies but I have attached five for your info).

Optivita has a 30 per cent more oat beta glucan in each serving than the UK authorities decided was necessary to make a cholesterol lowering claim.  What’s more, we test our cereal to ensure that active ingredient is in our food and does the job it’s supposed to.  There is the same level of oat beta glucan in a bowl of Optivita as there is in a bowl of porridge.

On top of that, Optivita is low in saturated fat and salt and a serving has the equivalent of two teaspoons of sugar– less than a fruit yoghurt or smoothie and roughly the same as people use to sweeten their porridge.

It’s for all these reasons last year that HEART UK decided to endorse this brand.  We give HEART UK £60k per year – which represents less than 0.01% of our overall annual advertising budget.

GDA LABELLING

Every pack of Kellogg’s’ cereals carries guideline daily amount (GDA) labelling to help shoppers see exactly how many calories and how much salt, fat and sugar is in our food – in a serving.

If labels are to help shoppers make informed choices they need to be based on what people actually eat in a serving.   That’s why we use GDA’s, not traffic lights, which judge a food based on 100g portion.  We know people eat cereals in 30g portions that’s less than a third of the 100g the FSA use to judge a food. 

SUGAR & SALT IN OUR FAMILY CEREALS

The reality is a single serving of Frosties or Coco Pops has the same amount of sugar in it as glass of orange juice or a banana.  While a bowl of Rice Krispies gives you less than a tenth of your daily allowance for salt, less salt than you’d find in one slice of dry wholemeal bread.

Science shows that people who eat breakfast cereals – regardless of the sugar content – tend to be slimmer than those who don’t.[1]  Research has also recently revealed that British kids are spending almost £650m a year on a corner shop breakfast of crisps, chocolate bars and meat snacks on the way to school.[2]

ADVERTISING TO CHILDREN

In 2007 we announced strict, self-imposed guidelines on how we market our products.  This included an end to marketing to children over the internet and a move to family-focussed promotions - we received a lot praise for the changes.  Our advertising is aimed mums and dads not children.  It’s aired during adult or family programming when parents are around and can exert their influence. 

SWIMMING AND SCHOOLS

You also asked about our association with swimming and the ASA and asked if we were involved in any schools activites.  I think the link - http://www.kelloggs.co.uk/whatson/breakfastclub/breakfast-clubs/ - tells you all you need to know about our 10 year history of working with charity ContinYou supporting breakfast clubs.  However, it’s probably worth noting that none of the breakfast clubs supported by our scheme is required to serve our cereals (food choices are entirely up to the people who run the breakfast club) and none of them are branded.

Earlier this year, Kellogg’s announced a £340,000 investment in developing and supporting breakfast clubs in the UK. The announcement was welcomed by Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, who said, “This is a great example of how companies can get involved in Change4Life and help children to eat well.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day – Breakfast4Life will give children who might not have ordinarily got it, a chance to start the day in a healthy way.”

Pam Boyd, ContinYou’s Interim CEO, stated, ‘We are delighted that in supporting the Government’s Change4Life (Breakfast4Life) campaign with our longstanding corporate partner, Kellogg's, we will be able to further develop the 'breakfast culture' which we truly believe to be a vital part of everyday life that effectively prepares children, young people, family members and individuals to be ready to learn and work.’

In terms of our association with the ASA this link will tell you more - http://www.kelloggs.co.uk/whatson/swimming/kelloggs-and-swimming/default.aspx  . 

David Sparkes, the Chief Executive of British Swimming and the ASA, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be continuing our very successful partnership with Kellogg’s. They have played an important part in our sport for many years, working with us to encourage, develop and reward swimmers of all ages and backgrounds. The pioneering work of the Swim Active initiative has helped us to bring our great sport of swimming to many that would not have had the chance to try and enjoy the water otherwise. The terrific on-going support from Kellogg’s will help us realise our aim of getting more people swimming, more often and having more fun.”

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Tags: breakfast cereal nutrition research