Kellogg UK has announced that it will cut the sugar content of its three most popular cereals by 20%-40%.
The sugar content in Coco Pops will drop by 40%, in Rice Krispies by 20% and in Rice Krispies Multi-Grain Shapes by 30%. The company has also announced that it will stop making Ricicles from January 2018 to help people make healthier choices.
“We know we have a responsibility to continuously improve the nutrition of our food,” Oli Morton, Kellogg UK, managing director, 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 we are announcing more changes to our foods so that we can continue to support people in making better choices,” he continued.
Although this action has been taken due to consumer pressure around childhood obesity, there will be added benefits for the health of children’s teeth.
“In 2014-15 some 40,970 surgical procedures were carried out on children for their teeth at a cost of £35 million, all to address a health problem which is entirely preventable,” Dr Dev Patel, founder and CEO of Brushlink, said.
He added that Brushlink “welcome this move by Kellogg’s to reduce the amount of sugar in Coco Pops, Rice Krispies and Rice Krispies Multi-Grain Shapes,” calling it an “early and important step towards not just tackling childhood obesity, but improving children’s oral health too.”