American food advertising shows grossly distorted nutritional patterns, according to a study by the Armstrong Atlantic State University. Researchers documented food advertisiments on primetime and Saturday-morning television across four networks, analysing each promoted item for nutritional content and portion size. “The results of this study suggest the foods advertised on television tend to oversupply nutrients associated with chronic illness (eg, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium) and... ...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 »

The NSW Government has announced its support for a national requirement for fast-food chains to publish detailed nutritional information on their products as part of their menus. Under the proposed plan, menus would include calorie/kj information, saturated fat, trans-fat and salt content of the items on offer. Currently, most fast-food outlets publish their nutritional information online (often in an inaccessible PDF format) or in dedicated leaflets. NSW Premier Kristina Keneally said: “This is... ...Read more »

Food Standards Australia New Zealand has called for tenders for two major programs this month. The government standards organisation is calling for an outside contractor to assist with filling the gaps in its knowledge of the nutritional content of the foods we eat. FSANZ is also asking for an outside contractor to analyse breads, to check on the success of last year’s changes to the mandatory fortification, specifically the addition of folic acid and switch to iodised salt. The National Health... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Company has outlined their innovations for the year ahead, including a Chunky line overhaul, while reiterating plans to grow via emerging markets at an investor meeting overnight. Craig Owens, Campbell’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer, said the company had managed to successful negotiate the worst recession in the US for decades, while performance remained sound in Asia Pacific – where the Arnott’s brand is a strong performer. “Year... ...Read more »

To tap into the growing number of consumers seeking more information about what is in their food, Campbell Soup Company is to launch a new range of soups with ingredients that are instantly recognisable and labels designed to outline cleanly and simply what is and isn’t in each product. According to recent research by the Hartman Group more than half of consumers are now more likely to read label information because they’re curious about what’s in their food. Further, a Nielsen... ...Read more »

Nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of American consumers say they notice nutritional information on food packaging more often now compared to two years ago, according to a new global online survey by The Nielsen Company. Nielsen also discovered that, while two-thirds (67 per cent) of US consumers claim to “mostly” understand the nutritional information on food packaging, less than half (44 per cent) of global consumers suggest they do. “As obesity rates continue to rise globally... ...Read more »