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 »

Australian parents’ activist group the Parent’s Jury has slammed two major food companies, Kelloggs and McDonalds, claiming that their marketing campaigns in Australia are misleading. Both companies featured in the Parents’ Jury’s ‘Fame and Shame Awards 2011’. McDonald’s use of Australian cricket hero Shane Warne to endorse its Chicken McBites came under fire for “using sport to promote unhealthy food which influences children”. Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain cereal, which the... ...Read more »

Kellogg’s has modernised the packaging of one of its leading cereal brands, All-Bran. To help customers recognise the brand, the company has adopted wraparound packaging that features the original All-Bran design. Customers tear off the packaging to reveal the new look box. According to Kellogg’s, the use of wraparound packaging is a first for the cereal category. The new design targets women who are concerned about everyday digestive health, with a particular focus on younger females. The wraparound... ...Read more »

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has today recalled boxes of Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Clusters after a few consumers found a small piece of plastic in their cereal. The national recall applies to 450g and 540g boxes marked Best Before 21/03/2012 (540g), 22/03/2012 (540g) and 01/06/2012 (450g). Customers who have purchased this product should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.  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 Company announced last week that it is helping fund sustainable palm oil production through purchasing GreenPalm certificates covering 100 percent of its global palm oil use. Today, GreenPalm estimates that only six percent of the current global supply of palm oil is sustainably grown. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) continues to work toward the development of a consistent and sufficient supply of segregated, sustainably grown palm oil, however, it is currently not available... ...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 »

Consumer group CHOICE has conducted a review of supermarket own brand foods, comparing them to various popular branded equivalents in terms of nutrition and taste. “The rise in supermarket-own brands has been phenomenal in Australia, with Coles and Woolworths leading the charge, closely followed by the popular discount chain, Aldi,” wrote CHOICE author Rebecca Gatto. “Private labels now account for almost a quarter of all grocery sales, and there are few supermarket categories that... ...Read more »

Kellogg is to cut the amount of sugar in its Coco Pops cereals in the UK as part of a revamp of the range that includes a new, healthier line aimed at kids dubbed Choc N’ Roll. The US food giant said yesterday it would reduce the sugar in its Coco Pops stable by 15% by the middle of next year, cut the amount of sugar per serving to one-and-a-half teaspoons and remove artificial sweeteners. The number of calories in each serving of Coco Pops would remain at 116, Kellogg said. A revamped Coco... ...Read more »

Kellogg has agreed to pull a health claim it made on Rice Krispies in the US, the country’s advertising watchdog said yesterday.The cereal giant had advertised its Rice Krispies brand as helping “support your child’s immunity”. However, after a probe by the Federal Trade Commission, Kellogg has agreed to not make claims about any potential health benefits unless it has scientific evidence, the watchdog said. The deal is the second Kellogg has made with the FTC. Last year,... ...Read more »