Kellogg has placed a new logo on the front of selected cereal packets in the US to encourage consumers to choose what it calls a “heart-healthy breakfast”.
The Kellogg’s Heart Healthy Selection logo, which is not endorsed by a third party, is on nine cereals, including the US cereal giant’s Raisin Bran, All Bran and Smart Start lines.
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Kellogg cited data from The American Heart Association that forecasts cardiovascular disease will increase by around 10% over the next 20 years. Forty per cent of adults will get at least one form of the disease, the association has said.
Eating “fibre-rich grain foods” can help manage the risk of heart disease, Kellogg said, which claimed the cereals with the new logo are also “low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol”.
“We know that these great brands – Kellogg’s Raisin Bran, All Bran, Smart Start and FiberPlus – have been long time favourites. Now we’ve added the ‘Kellogg’s Heart Healthy Selection’ logo on the front panel of these products, so people can easily make the right choice when they’re seeking a heart-healthy breakfast,” Dick Podiak, Kellogg director of marketing for adult cereal, said.
US consumer watchdog Center for Science in the Public Interest gave a mixed verdict to the nutritional content of the cereals that carry the logo.
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By GlobalData“Consumers should know that some of the cereals carrying this heart-healthy label are excellent sources of the kind of fiber than appears to protect the heart, while others may technically qualify for an approved health claim from the FDA but don’t contain the best fibre or the best ingredients,” Bonnie Liebman, CSPI’s director of nutrition, told just-food.
Liebman said cereals like All-Bran and Raisin Bran “are among the best cereals” because they contain wheat bran, which is linked to a lower risk of heart disease or soluble fibre from sources like psyllium, which lowers blood cholesterol.
She said: “As far as I can tell, possibly all of the cereals are justified in making an approved FDA health claim for heart disease because they contain at least 1g of soluble fibre per serving. Some comes from added “soluble corn fiber,” which might, or might not, lower cholesterol.”
However, Liebman criticised the use of other labels by Kellogg and the nutritional make-up of some of its cereals.
“Smart Start’s label implies that antioxidants lower the risk of heart disease. Clinical trials have found no lower risk of heart disease in people who were given high doses of antioxidant vitamins,” she said. “The new raisin bran variations have less fibre than the original. Much of the fiber in the Fiber Plus line may have soluble fibre that lowers cholesterol but its fibre numbers are inflated by added fibres that may do nothing. And some of these cereals, like the Fiber Plus Berry Yogurt Crunch Antioxidant cereal, have less than 2% fruit juice concentrate, less actual fruit than artificial flavor and colours, and more corn starch than yogurt, which has no live cultures because it’s been heat-treated.”
Kellogg insisted all the cereals marked with the new logo are “good sources of fibre and include soluble fibre for heart health”.
It said: “Additional sources of fiber such as wheat bran are also added, since we need a variety of fibers in our diets. Given the numerous health benefits of fiber – from heart health to weight management to digestive health – and the fact that 95% of Americans do not meet fiber recommendations – we ensure that most of our cereals, including Kellogg’s All-Bran, All-Bran Buds, Bran Flakes and Raisin Bran, provide at least three grams of fibre and at least eight grams, of whole grains.”
