18 Oct Nestlé vows to maker healthier cereals by 2015
Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), Nestlé’s 50/50 joint venture with General Mills, has committed to reducing the sugar content of 20 Nestlé breakfast cereal brands popular with children and teenagers to 9g or less per serving by the end of 2015.
The changes will mean Nestlé breakfast cereals will have a sugar reduction of up to 30% across brands including Nesquik, Chocapic, Honey Cheerios, and Milo.
The reductions in sugar will be made alongside other nutritional improvements. Specifically, whole grain will be the main ingredient in all the new recipes.
The amount of calcium per serving will be increased to at least 15% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA), which varies in different parts of the world. In the European Union, 15% of the RDA for calcium is 120mg.
The sodium content will also be reduced to 135mg or less per serving.
Although CPW is reducing sugar in Nestlé breakfast cereals, their energy content will remain roughly the same. Sugar is being replaced with other ingredients, typically other carbohydrates, which contain a similar amount of calories.
No compromise on taste
The announcement reflects CPW’s continuing efforts to make it easier for consumers to eat a nutritious breakfast without compromising on taste.
Since 2003 the company has removed more than 9 000 tonnes of sugar and almost 900 tonnes of salt from its recipes, while adding more than 3.4 billion servings of whole grain.
“Breakfast cereal is an affordable, convenient and nutritious way to start the day,” said Jeff Harmening, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cereal Partners Worldwide.
“Nestlé breakfast cereals provide whole grain and are typically lower in fat, salt or sugar than many other breakfast options. They are also lower in calories, containing less than 200 per serving with milk.”
CPW aims to help consumers boost their intake of whole grain by providing a minimum of 8g per serving in the majority of Nestlé breakfast cereals.
Although health authorities worldwide recommend that people should increase their consumption of whole grain as an important part of a balanced diet, studies suggest that in some countries as many as nine out of ten still do not eat enough.
“We were the first global breakfast cereals producer to add whole grain to our products and we have been steadily increasing the amount since 2003,” Harmening added.
“We continue to improve our products to provide consumers with essential nutrients while preserving the tastes they enjoy as part of our commitment to nutrition, health and wellness.
“We are committing to improve about 5.3 billion portions of Nestlé breakfast cereals in more than 140 countries around the world,” he added. “By fortifying more of these products with calcium, we can help to make a positive impact on children’s growth and bone development.”
Consumers can find clear facts and figures about the ingredients and nutritional profile of all Nestlé breakfast cereals on every pack.
Nestlé breakfast cereal reformulation needs tact, warns specialist
Professor Jack Winkler, British nutrition policy specialist, told BakeryandSnacks.com that while this move is “exactly the direction companies should be taking,” it will not be easy and must be exercised gradually and unobtrusively.
“It will take perseverance and discipline in the face of critics such as foodies who want it all tomorrow and financials who are demanding where the profits will come from,” Winkler said.
One such critic, Malcolm Clark, coordinator of UK health movement Children’s Food Campaign, questioned why such high levels of sugar and salt existed in the children’s cereal products in the first place.
“While we are giving credit to this move, the sugar and salt levels should not have been this high to start with. These are not healthy cereals and they still won’t be after the reformulation,” Clark said.
He called the claims on calcium and wholegrain “marketing misdirection used to position the product as healthy and disguise the levels of salt and sugar.”
Industry and government attempts to get consumers to replace unhealthy foods with healthy choices have failed, Winkler said, and this reformulation strategy represents an “alternative, pragmatic change of strategy starting”.
“Gradually improving the nutritional profile of mass market foods that consumers enjoy is a nutritional strategy for the 21st century. But it is the gradual nature that is absolutely essential here,” he said.
It must be done gradually to avoid shocking consumer taste preferences, he warned, and efforts must be unobtrusive to avoid repelling consumers. “The vast majority of consumers are repelled by less sugar and less salt claims.”
“Importantly, the unobtrusiveness must be kept for a long time – we’re talking decades,” he added.
“I hope Nestlé won’t try and make a boast about being healthier than they are. I hope they are modest about claims,” Winkler concluded.