US: Kellogg to ditch immunity statements over H1N1

Kellogg Company will stop putting immunity claims on its Rice Krispies cereals in the US.

Last year, Kellogg began adding antioxidants to Rice Krispies cereals in response to parents' desire for "more positive nutrition" in kids' cereal, the company said.

While Kellogg maintained that scientific evidence suggests that antioxidants help support the immune system, the US cereal giant said it would remove immunity claims from its products, particularly given the public attention generated by H1N1 (swine flu).

"The communication will be on pack for the next few months as packaging flows through store shelves," Kellogg said in a statement. "We will, however, continue to provide the increased amounts of vitamins A, B, C and E (25% daily value) that the cereal offers."

However, Kellogg emphasised that it would continue to respond to the "desire for improved nutrition".

"We are committed to communicating the importance of nutrition to our consumers," the company added.

Last week Kellogg dropped the Smart Choices Program labelling scheme from its products amid claims the label could mislead consumers.

The company agreed to a request from Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal to remove the logo from its products - at least until investigations being conducted by Blumenthal and the US Food and Drug Administration are complete.