In the December 2011 issue of Food Technology magazine, published by the US-based Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), contributing Editor A. Elizabeth Sloan writes about the latest whole grain trends in food: 1.     Food marketing claims relating to the benefits of whole grains are now the most sought after health claims on food packages, followed by claims about dietary fiber, according to the Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI) 2011 U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report. 2.      The number... ...Read more »

The US Food and Drug Administration has found traces of listeria at an Augusta, Georgia, bakery owned and operated by US cereal giant Kellogg.In a letter released yesterday (14 June), the food safety regulator said that listeria was detected at “several” points along a production line that comes into direct contact with food. The FDA added that other food safety issues at the plant included insects found near to food storage areas. The plant manufactures Kellogg’s Keebler and Famous... ...Read more »

The Consumer Goods Forum has unveiled a new set of industry-wide resolutions designed to promote health and wellness. On the first day of its annual global summit in Barcelona today (15 June), the Forum committed to improving access to healthier products, providing “transparent, fact-based” information to allow consumers to make informed dietary decisions and promoting educational programmes that raise awareness of healthy lifestyles. The collaborative work to promote these resolutions... ...Read more »

Kellogg Company has announced that it will commence US sales of a gluten free version of its popular Rice Krispies breakfast cereal, known in Australia as Rice Bubbles. “Kellogg is pleased to announce plans for the launch of our first-ever gluten-free cereal – Rice Krispies Gluten Free – which should start hitting store shelves by early June,” said Doug VanDeVelde, senior vice president of marketing and innovation at Kellogg. “We heard the strong desire from people within the... ...Read more »

Kellogg’s has launched a new offering in its LCMs range, the LCM 4D Choc, a 25% larger bar aimed at an older demographic than its normal LCMs lines, which will be sold as a supermarket multi-pack snack and through convenience channels as a single bar. The LCM 4D Choc features darker, more intricate packaging, including a movie-rating style “MA+ For Older Kids: Look out I’m bigger than a stampeding black rhino” tagline. The new snack is designed to appeal to adults as well... ...Read more »

Higher costs have dented US cereal giant Kellogg’s first-quarter earnings, which fell 12% in the three month period. The Cornflakes maker said that profit in the period to 2 April fell to US$366 million, down from $418m last year. The group said that earnings were hit by higher costs, with gross margin dippping to 40.8%, down from 42.9%. The cost of goods sold rose 9% year-on-year. Nevertheless, Kellogg insisted that it was pleased with its sales performance and raised its full-year revenue... ...Read more »

Swiss scientists have linked cardboard packaging made from recycled newspapers to health complaints in lab rats, ranging from the inflammation of internal organs to cancer.Researchers at the Food Safety Laboratory in Zurich said that mineral oils in ink from newspapers that are then recycled can make their way into foods such as cereal, pasta and rice – even passing through inner plastic bags. The researchers analysed a total of 119 products bought from German supermarkets last year. According... ...Read more »

Kellogg’s today received some tough news to swallow as it was named as having one of Australia’s worst junk food marketing campaigns to target children, for the fourth year running. Parents from around the country voted the distasteful campaign for LCMs snack bars winner of the ‘Pester Power’ category, in the sixth annual Parents Jury Fame & Shame Awards held in Sydney. In a further blow to Kellogg’s, parents also crowned the giant food manufacturer’s ads for... ...Read more »

Falling sales in the US and overseas have hit third-quarter profits at US food group Kellogg, with the cereal giant announcing that net earnings dropped 6% to US$338 million for the quarter to 2 October. Kellogg’s operating profit fell 4.5% to US$541 million. Operating profit in North America dropped 3% due to lower sales and higher advertising costs. The Crunchy Nut maker’s operating profit from its overseas businesses decreased 11% due to lower earnings in Latin America and Asia Pacific. Kellogg’s... ...Read more »

The US National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has recommended that General Mills stop the five-second tags that were paired with broadcast ads for original and Honey Nut Cheerios. The recommendation from the advertising industry’s self-regulator came following a challenge from Kellogg. “The challenger in this case contended that General Mills has long promoted the heart-health and cholesterol-lowering benefits of the soluble fiber and whole grain... ...Read more »