The company pledges to remove 15 per cent of the sugar in all its Coco Pops cereals by mid-2011, effectively reducing sugar content to one and a half teaspoons per serving. That would remove almost 750t of sugar from the nation’s annual diet, said the company.
“We have been planning this for two years and testing it with parents and children to ensure there is no loss of taste,” said the spokesman. “We have responded to consumers’ concerns about sugar but done so in a way that does not compromise taste.”
Millions of pounds
Greg Peterson, Kellogg UK managing director, added: “We’ve invested millions of pounds and thousands of staff hours over the last two years to make this happen, and will do this without compromising the taste people love.”
Sugar will be replaced with starch from grains and glucose syrup without the need to use artificial sweeteners. The product’s calories count will be maintained at about 116 calories per serving.
The sugar reduction will apply to all four Kellogg’s Coco Pops cereals sold in the UK. Coco Pops Moons & Stars will re-launch early next year. Renovated Coco Pops original, Coco Pops Mega Munchers and Coco Pops Rocks will launch by mid 2010.
The initiative to cut sugar content follows a project to reduce salt content over the past 10 years which has lead to reductions of 46 per cent, said the company.
For the first time the Coco Pops cereal range is to include added Vitamin D. “Sadly, we don’t get as much sun as we would like, or need in the UK, and adding Vitamin D to our Coco Pops product will help to remedy that,” said the spokesman.
According to a company statement: “A portion of Coco Pops cereal will now provide around 10 percent of a child’s Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) of sugar. At the same time, a portion of any Coco Pops cereal will provide 10 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin D, which British children don’t get enough of despite the fact it is essential for bone health.”
Consumer acceptance
The company said it plans further reductions in the sugar content of it Coco Pops cereal line – provided they can be achieved without affecting consumer acceptance.
Kellogg has also announced the launch of new cereal variety, Coco Pops Choc N’ Roll which it claims offers a lower salt, lower sugar, low saturated fat, high fibre, wholegrain cereal fortified with chocolate.
The new cereal passes the Food Standards Agency’s nutrient profile and will appear on UK supermarket shelves in August.