Cereal Reoffenders

C CA AM M

P PA AI IG G

N NR R

E EP PO O

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for all consumers

Healthy eating messages may have convincedmany of us to ditch the fry up and switch tothe lighter option of a bowlful of cereal butour research shows this nutritious imagecould be hiding the reality when it comes tosugar, salt and saturated fat. We found thatyou could be breakfasting on as much sugaras you would find in a chocolate bar and thesame amount of salt as in a packet of crisps.

That’s worrying enough for adults. But according to marketresearch company Mintel, eight out of ten children eat cerealregularly. And the products marketed directly at childrenwere among the worst offenders for sugar. At a time whenthere is growing concern about childhood obesity and diet-related disease in general, that’s simply not good enough.

July 2006

CEREALOFFENDERSRe

Which? wants to see cereal manufacturers take a more responsibleapproach. They must:

> Stop marketing products high in fat, sugar or salt to children

> Stop making health claims on products high in fat, sugar or salt

> Help consumers to identify the amounts of fat, sugar, salt andsaturates in their foods by applying the FSA’s traffic light labellingsystem to their products

> Make further cuts to salt levels, reduce fat (including saturates) andsugar and remove trans fats

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FACT:

We found 28cereals wherethe suggestedserving wouldgive you moresalt than astandard packetof Walkerscrisps (0.5gsalt)

WHAT’S INYOUR BOWL? Between March and May 2006 we scoured the leading supermarkets – Asda,Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco – and filled our baskets with 275 differenttypes and flavours of cereals. We concentrated on standard products and healthyeating ranges. We looked at the amounts of sugar, salt and fat they contain andcompared them to the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) proposed criteria forfront-of-pack traffic light labelling.

We were shocked to discover that more than 75 per cent of the cereals in ourbasket had a high level of sugar, while almost a fifth had high levels of salt.Nearly 90 per cent of the cereals in our sample that targeted children were highin sugar, 13 per cent were high in salt and 10 per cent were high in saturatedfat. While some manufacturers have introduced reduced sugar and salt versionsof their cereals – which is a positive step – we found that they can still containhigh levels.

LITTLE PROGRESS

Despite widespread public concern aboutobesity and diet-related disease, cereals arealmost as sugary now as when we looked at100 branded cereals two years ago. Based onprevious FSA criteria from 2004, 79 per centcontained ‘a lot’ of sugar compared with 85per cent when we checked in 2004. Somecereals are still high in fat or containhydrogenated vegetable oil, which means thattrans fats might be an ingredient. This type offat may be worse for you than saturated fat.More encouragingly, based on the 2004criteria, the proportion of extremely saltycereals has fallen, from 40 per cent containing‘ a lot’ in 2004 to 28 per cent now.

Take action

Which? has produced a wallet-size FoodShopping Card to help people make sense oflabels that don’t include traffic light labelling.You can get hold of one by visitingwww.which.co.uk/shoppingcard

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FACT:

Adults andchildren aged11 years orover shouldaim to eat nomore than 6gof salt a day

TRAFFIC LIGHTSIn March this year, the FSA agreed the principlesfor a new front-of-pack labelling scheme. Thiswas based on nearly two years of research intowhat nutrition information shoppers want and inwhich format. The new scheme is based on atraffic light system, using red, amber and greensymbols to show whether levels of sugar, fat,saturated fat and salt are high, medium or low.So far, Asda, the Co-operative Group, Sainsbury’sand Waitrose have said they will use the scheme.Recent Which? research found that this type oflabelling scheme was most helpful to consumers.

We grouped our cereals into 12 main types – such as cereal flakes,muesli and oats and then looked at cereals specifically targeted atchildren. We applied the FSA’s proposed nutritional criteria for thetraffic lights to highlight the different nutrients. We focused oncomparing different cereals based on the information provided by themanufacturer for nutrients per 100g rather than the suggestedserving. Food companies suggest different serving sizes and someinclude milk in their calculations. We also looked at the informationfor what manufacturers suggest as a serving where relevant.

We investigated 275 products,including own-brand and big names.In 2004, we looked at 100 of the

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best-selling branded cerealsGo to www.which.co.uk/cereals for the full results, showing the fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt levels for every cereal we bought

76%Red lightfor sugar

88%Red lightfor sugar

PERCENTAGE OF CEREALS WITH A ‘RED’ LIGHT

Cerealoverall

Children’scereal

A staggering 76 per cent of the cerealswe bought get a red light for sugar. Just13 per cent are green, with 10 per centrating amber.

Of the 52 cereals that target children, amassive 88 per cent get a red light forsugar.

“I am appalled at the range of highsugar breakfast cereals with kids' typecharacters, i.e. Coco Pops, Frosties andHoney Nut Loops. And I'm outraged atthe new chocolate straws. Anyoneinvolved in this advertising and manu-facturing should be ashamed”. Kellie-Jay, Bristol

The five worst offenders contained tenor more teaspoons of sugar per 100g.Three of these cereals are aimed atchildren: Asda Golden Puffs, Sainsbury'sGolden Puffs and Kellogg’s Ricicles. Andfour of the five – all puffed wheatcereals – have more sugar per 100gthan a Toffee Crisp (47.9g).

SERVING SIZESWe found nine cereals with more thanfour teaspoons of sugar (16g) persuggested portion. Several of the mostsugary were mueslis where a lot of thesugar can come from dried fruit. Thiscounts towards your five portions offruit and vegetables a day and alsocontains fibre and some vitamins andminerals. So there are benefits overadded sugar, but it is still worthwatching the sugar levels as fruit sugarsstill have the same number of caloriesand can contribute to tooth decay. Sometypes of muesli are sweetened byadding sugar as well.

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A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR

The five worst offenders containedten or more teaspoons of

sugar per 100g”“

A bowlful of sugarCereal Sugar (g/portion)Asda 55% Fruit Muesli 18Sainsbury's Fruit Muesli 17.85Morrisons Fruit & Nut Muesli 17.8Sainsbury's Yoghurty and Raspberry Crisp Cereal 16.92Jordans Special Fruit Muesli 16.8Asda Golden Puffs 16.5Morrisons Golden Puffs 16.5Tesco Healthy Living Muesli 16.45Sainsbury's Triple Chocolate Crisp Cereal 16.38

Sugar: the worst offendersCereal Sugar (g/100g)Asda Golden Puffs 55Morrisons Golden Puffs 55Sainsbury's Golden Puffs 49.5Tesco Golden Honey Puffs 49.5Kellogg’s Ricicles 40


FACT:

Nearly a fifthof the cerealswe looked atget a red lightfor salt

You might be surprised to discover that eating cereals can meanswallowing a lot of salt along with the sugar. Too much salt can raiseyour blood pressure, increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke.But most of us – 85 per cent of men and 69 per cent of women – eattoo much. You should aim to have no more than 6g of salt a day. Levelsfor children are lower: 1 to 3 year olds should have no more than 2g aday; 4 to 6 year olds no more than 3g; and 7 to 10 year olds 5g.

Nearly a fifth of the cereals we looked at get a red light for salt. It’sworrying that seven of these target children: Asda Choco Flakes, AsdaFrosted Flakes, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies, Sainsbury’s Choco Flakes, Sainsbury’sChoco Snaps, Sainsbury’s Frosted Flakes and Sainsbury’s Hooplas.

There has been an overall reduction in salt levels since we lastlooked at breakfast cereals in 2004, but further cuts are still needed.

With Kellogg’s All-Bran and Morrisons Right Balance topping the salttables on a per serving basis, and a bowlful of five of the six high-fibrebran cereals containing more than a bag of crisps, it’s difficult to swallowthe healthy image of these cereals. Shoppers who want the benefits of ahigh-fibre cereal shouldn’t have to eat so much salt every morning.

SALTY TYPESIn March 2006, the FSA set new voluntary salt reduction targets forfood companies to help ensure that by 2010 we’ll be eating no morethan the target 6g salt a day. It wants breakfast cereals to contain anaverage of 0.8g salt per 100g. We welcome this move to makefurther cuts to the amount of salt in food, but we want levels keptunder close review. In our shopping basket, 44 per cent of the cerealshave more than 0.8g salt per 100g.

WOULD YOU LIKE

SALT WITH THAT?

There has been an overall reductionin salt levels since we last looked atbreakfast cereals in 2004, but further

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cuts are still needed

Salt: the worst offendersSalt (g/100g) Salt (g/serving)

Kellogg’s All-Bran 2.25 0.90Morrisons Right Balance 1.75 0.88Nestlé Golden Grahams 2.50 0.75

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FACT:

We should tryto eat around18g of fibreevery day

FAT FACTS

The fat content of cereals across the board is generally medium to low – just twocereals get a red light. The Sainsbury’s Crunchy Oat Cereal with 20.3g of fat per100g gives you almost the same amount of fat and saturated fat as thesupermarket’s thick pork sausages. And with 28.5g fat per 100g, the suggestedamount of Jordan’s Country Crisp Four Nut Combo contains around the sameamount of fat as a McDonald’s McBacon Roll.

SATURATED FATEating too much saturated fat can pushup blood cholesterol levels, increasingyour risk of heart disease. Cereals ingeneral don’t present too much of aproblem, but it’s important to check thelabel – 7 per cent of the ones we lookedat have a high level of saturates. Mostof these are of the crunchy variety, butfive children’s cereals also have highlevels of this type of fat: MornflakePecan and Maple Crisp; Kellogg’s CocoPops Straws; Quaker Oatso Simple forKids Super Strawberry, Terrific Toffeeand Very Vanilla.

FIBRE

Many of the packets of cereal welooked at promote the benefits ofwholegrains. Wholegrains haven’thad any of the cereal grain takenaway during manufacturing, soyou’ll get more nutrients and moresoluble fibre – this can help keepyour heart healthy. Wholegrainfoods also keep you feeling full forlonger, which may stop youreaching for a snack mid-morning.And they provide insoluble fibre –this helps to avoid constipation.Foods with more than 6g per 100gof fibre are classed as ‘high in fibre’.

SERVING SIZESThree of the cereals will give you atleast 4g of saturates per bowl if youfollow the suggestion on the label –around the same amount as you’d findin two fried eggs.

A bowl of fatCereals with 4g or more of saturatesper serving

TRANS FATSIf you see ‘hydrogenated vegetable oil’or ‘hydrogenated vegetable fat’ listed inthe ingredients panel, the food maycontain trans fats. These are producedartificially when manufacturers bubblehydrogen through liquid oils to turnthem into solid fats. They have asimilar effect on your body to saturates– some experts believe they may beeven worse for you than saturated fat.But manufacturers don’t have to tell youif their product contains trans fats. Wefound 11 cereals that list hydrogenatedfat as an ingredient and five of theseare specifically targeted at children.

Asda Choco SquaresAsda Good For You Fruit MuesliAsda Smart Price Fruit and FibreMornflake Chocolatey SquaresQuaker Oatso Simple For Kids SuperStrawberryQuaker Oatso Simple For Kids TerrificToffeeQuaker Oatso Simple For Kids VeryVanillaSainsbury’s Be Good To Yourself PreciseSainsbury’s MuesliSainsbury's Yoghurty and RaspberryCrisp CerealTesco Fruit and Nut Muesli

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Watch out for children’s cerealscontaining hydrogenated fat

Oats tend to have more of a healthyimage among cereals becausethey’re a good source of solublefibre, which can help lower bloodcholesterol. If you’ve got children,you might go for Quaker’s OatsoSimple for Kids, with its child-friendly flavours: Super Strawberry,Terrific Toffee and Very Vanilla. Butthese varieties contain high levelsof saturates – 5.5 to 6g per 100g.You’d be better off going for theOriginal (plain) flavour andsweetening it with some fruit.Muesli also has a healthy image,but Asda’s 55% Fruit and NutMuesli has 5g saturates per 100g.

GOOD FOR YOU?

4.50gAsda HawaiianCrunch

4.25gSainsbury’sCrunchy OatCereal

4.00gAsda PassionFruit Crisp

A HEALTHY START TO YOUR DAY?

TIGHTER LAWS ON HEALTHCLAIMSWhich? has been campaigning to banhealth and nutrition claims on productshigh in sugar, fat, saturates or salt andfor health claims to be checked beforethe food hits the shops. In May wescored a major victory when theEuropean Parliament voted to banmisleading health claims on food. Allnew claims will now have to beregistered with the European FoodSafety Authority, which will checkclaims before the food hits the shops.And health claims won’t be allowed onfoods high in fat, sugar or salt. Butdon’t relax too soon – it could be up totwo years before the new laws take fulleffect, so until then, you still have toread the labels closely. For moreinformation about what the new ruleswill mean go to our web-site:www.which.co.uk/food

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> Nestlé Fitnesse and Nestlé Fitnesse &Fruit are both high in sugar, but theyclaim, respectively, to be 99 per cent or98 per cent fat free.

> Kellogg’s Special K, Special K Peachand Apricot, Special K Purple Berriesand Special K Red Berries all claim tobe 99 per cent fat free. All four cerealsget a red light for both sugar and salt.

> Asda Good For You Fruit Muesli andSainsbury’s Be Good To Yourself Preciseboth contain hydrogenated fat.

> Tesco Healthyliving Bran Flakes andSainsbury’s Be Good To Yourself Balanceget red lights for both sugar and salt.

> Nestlé Golden Grahams contain 0.75gof salt per serving – the same amountyou’d find in a 50g serving of KP Nutsoriginal salted peanuts. But the back ofthe packet makes this look like a healthycereal by explaining the ‘goodness ofwholegrains’ which contain ‘essentialnutrients working togetherto help keep you and yourfamily healthy from theinside out’.

> Sainsbury’s Be Good ToYourself Wheat Flakes withAdded Oat Bran gets a red lightfor sugar, but the packet carriesa cholesterol-lowering claim.

> Nestlé Force gets a red lightfor salt but carries a wholegrain claim.

> Weetabix Weetaflakes Raisin,Cranberry and Apple claims that theprebiotic ingredient can ‘help maintaina healthy digestive system’, but thecereal gets a red light for sugar.

It’s easy to spot any potential nutritional benefits of breakfast cereals – themanufacturers print their claims in big colourful letters, such as “fortified withvitamins and iron”, “high in fibre”, and “wholegrain”. Currently there’s no mandatorycheck on the health claims made for foods before products hit the shops.

The European FoodSafety Authority willcheck claims before the

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food hits the shops


FACT:

Some cerealsjust givenutritioninformation forthe cereal; othersinclude the milkyou pour on.This makes ithard for shoppersto compare.

THE BEST & THE WORST OF THE BUNCH

CRUNCH

The downsideAll of the crunchy cereals have a redlight for sugar. There’s a big range from17g per 100g in Asda Passion FruitCrisp to 33g per 100g in Kellogg’sCrunchy Nut Nutty. None are low in fatand 50 per cent have a red light forsaturates – more than any other type ofcereal we looked at. One – Sainsbury’sYoghurty & Raspberry Crisp Cereal –contains hydrogenated fat.

BenefitsThe oats in these cereals containsoluble fibre, which can help keep yourheart healthy. Many of the crunchcereals are high in fibre.

Best of the bunch:Quaker Oat Granola

per 100gSugar: 26g •Fat: 8.8g •Saturates: 2.8g •Salt: trace •

Worst of the bunch:Jordans Crispy Four Nut Combo

per 100gSugar: 24.8g •Fat: 28.5g •Saturates: 6.6g •Salt: 0.6g •

FLAKES

The downsideThis is a salty group of cereals – 49per cent have high (red) salt levels.Cereal flakes account for 20 of the 28cereals with more salt than a bag ofcrisps, and a serving of MorrisonsRight Balance has more salt than 50gof salted peanuts.

Most of these cereals are very sweettoo, 83 per cent get a red light forsugar. Again, the cereals with a redlight for sugar have very differentlevels. 15.7g per 100g in Sainsbury’sBe Good to Yourself Balance to 39g per100g in Asda Raisin Bran.

Two cereals – Asda Smart Price Fruitand Fibre and Sainsbury’s Be Good ToYourself Precise – containhydrogenated fat.

BenefitsThese cereals offer a lower-fat optionthan some of the other types we lookedat – there are no red traffic lights for fator saturates. 71 per cent of the trafficlights for fat and 86 per cent of thetraffic lights for saturates are green. Sometypes, such as bran flakes, fruit and fibreand sultana bran, are high in fibre.

We assessed which cereals were the best and worst for each cereal type we lookedat based on the FSA’s proposed traffic light labelling criteria for fat, saturates,sugar and salt.

Best of the bunch:Asda Good for You Apple, Blackberry & Raspberry Flakes

per 100gSugar: 8g •Fat: 1.8g •Saturates: 0.4g •Salt: 0.75g •

We found that Weetabix Weetaflakesalso has the same balance of trafficlights, but the Asda cereal has lowerfigures overall.

Worst of the bunch: Kellogg’s Fruit ‘n’ Fibre

per 100gSugar: 25g •Fat: 6g •Saturates: 3.5g •Salt: 1.5g •

Kellogg’s All-Bran Bran Flakes Yoghurtyper 100g

Sugar: 26g •Fat: 5g •Saturates: 2g •Salt: 1.8g •

HIGH FIBRE BRAN

The downsideFive of the six cereals in this group arehigh in salt – if you eat the suggestedserving sizes of any of them you’ll getmore salt than you’d get from a bag ofcrisps. Kellogg’s All-Bran, with thehighest level of salt per serving (morethan a 50g bag of salted peanuts) isalso in this group.

BenefitsThese cereals are high in fibre. Nonecontains hydrogenated fat.

Best of the bunchFive of the six cereals are nutritionallyvery similar per 100g for sugar, fat andsaturates. Nestlé Fibre 1 and Kellogg’sAll-Bran are the only cereals with agreen light for fat, although there’s nota big difference between the fat contentof these and the other cereals.

Nestlé Fibre 1per 100g

Sugar: 13.8g •Fat: 2.8g •Saturates: 0.5g •Salt: 0.8g •

Worst of the bunch:Kellogg’s All-Bran contains the highestamount of salt, but is lower in fat thansome of the other cereals.

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Sainsbury’s High Fibre Branper 100g


Tesco Hi-Fibre Branper 100g


Asda High Branper 100g

Sugar: 16g •Fat: 3.5g •Saturates: 0.7g •Salt: 1.65g •

Morrisons High Fibre Branper 100g


THE BEST & THE WORST OF THE BUNCH (continued)

HOOPS

The downsideAll of these cereals get a red light forsugar, but there’s a big range – from16.6g per 100g in Quaker Oat Hoopsto 37g per 100g in Asda Choco Hoops.None of these cereals has a green lightfor salt.

BenefitsAll of the cereals get a green light forsaturates. None contains hydrogenatedfats.

Best of the bunch:Kellogg’s Honey Nut Loops has thesame balance of traffic lights asWeetabix Weetos Honey, but higherfigures overall.

Weetabix Weetos Honeyper 100g


Worst of the bunch:Sainsbury’s Hooplas and Tesco MultigrainHoops have red lights for both sugar andsalt. Asda Choco Hoops and Nestlé HoneyNut Cheerios have just one red light, forsugar, but contain 37g and 35.4g sugarper 100g respectively. However, the AsdaChoco Hoops have around half as muchsalt.

Sainsbury’s Hooplas per 100g


Tesco Multigrain Hoops per 100g


MALTED WHEAT

The downsideAll but two of the plain versions ofthese cereals get a red light for sugarwith around 15g per 100g – althoughthe two that don’t have levels onlymarginally below the others. Thesugared versions, Nestlé CocoaShreddies and Nestlé FrostedShreddies, contain around 29g per100g sugar, almost twice as much asthe company’s plain variety. None of thecereals get a green light for salt – all areamber.

BenefitsAll of the cereals are low in both fatand saturates. None containshydrogenated fats, and all of them arehigh in fibre.

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Best of the bunch:Sainsbury’s Malties


Tesco Malt Wheatsper 100g


Worst of the bunch:Nestlé Cocoa Shreddies


Nestlé Frosted Shreddiesper 100g


MUESLI

The downsideMuesli has a healthy image, although allbut four of the varieties we looked at (88per cent) are high in sugar. A handful ofbrands are low in fat, although most getan amber light and some of themcontain hydrogenated fats.

BenefitsIn general these cereals are low insaturates and high in fibre. Oats are akey ingredient, which means you’ll getthe benefits of soluble fibre. Otheringredients – such as dried fruit – alsoprovide fibre.

If you like the benefits of lots of fruitand nuts in your muesli, remember thatthe sugar and fat levels will be higher.Try to go for no added sugar varietiesso that any sugar comes from fruit.

Best of the bunch:Sainsbury’s Basics Muesli

per 100gSugar: 4.5g •Fat: 5.2g •Saturates: 1g •Salt: <0.1g •

Worst of the bunch:Asda 55% Fruit and Nut Muesli

per 100gSugar: 24g •Fat: 14g •Saturates: 5g •Salt: Trace •


OATS

The downsideThere are no real downsides to theplain varieties, although the plaininstant oats get an amber light for fatbecause they contain lecithin – aningredient used as a stabiliser which isusually produced from soya oil.Flavoured versions of the instant oatsare all high in sugar, as well as higherin fat, depending on what’s been added.The Oatso Simple For Kids rangecontains hydrogenated vegetable fat.

BenefitsPlain oats are low in sugar, fat, saturatesand salt, plus they contain cholesterol-lowering soluble fibre. Most of the oatsand oat cereals are high in fibre.

Best of the bunch:Any brand of plain oats (where oats arethe only ingredient).

Worst of the bunch:Quaker Oatso Simple Kids (any flavour)

per 100gSugar: 32g •Fat: 12-13g •Saturates: 5.5-6.0g •Salt: Trace •Contains hydrogenated vegetable fat

PUFFED WHEAT

The downsideThe sweetened varieties are very highin sugar – all get a red light and four ofthe five have more sugar per 100g thana four-finger milk chocolate Kit Kat(48.2g per 100g).

BenefitsThe plain puffed wheat cereals welooked at are low in sugar, fat, saturatesand salt – although Morrisons puffedWheat just nudges into the ambercategory for fat (by 0.3g per 100g).The sugared varieties are also low infat, saturates and salt, and none of thecereals contains hydrogenated fat.

Best of the bunch:There’s little between Quaker PuffedWheat, Tesco Puffed Wheat andSainsbury’s Puffed Wheat, and all arehigh in fibre.

Quaker Puffed Wheatper 100g


Tesco Puffed Wheatper 100g

Sugar: 3.0g •Fat: 3.0g •Saturates: 0.5g •Salt: 0g •

Sainsbury’s Puffed Wheatper 100g

Sugar: 3g •Fat: 3g •Saturates: 0.5g •Salt: <0.1g •

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Worst of the bunch:There’s little between Asda Golden Puffsand Morrisons Golden Puffs.

Asda Golden Puffsper 100g

Sugar: 55g •Fat: 1.2g •Saturates: 0.3g •Salt: Trace •

Morrisons Golden Puffsper 100g


SHREDDED WHEAT

The downsideThere are no downsides to the plainvarieties – all get green lights for sugar,fat, saturates and salt. Not surprisingly,the sugared or fruit-filled versions arehigh in sugar, with only Nestlé TripleBerry Shredded Wheat remaining onamber. But the sugar levels in many ofthe shredded wheat cereals we lookedat remain at the lower end of the high-sugar category. Two cereals – NestléFruitful Shredded Wheat and NestléHoney Nut Shredded Wheat – also getamber lights for fat and saturates.

BenefitsThe plain varieties are a good breakfastchoice with low levels of sugar, fat,saturates and salt. All of the cereals arehigh in fibre. None of the cerealscontains hydrogenated fat.

Best of the bunch:There’s little between the plain varieties.

Nestlé Bitesize Shredded Wheatper 100g

Sugar: 1g •Fat: 2.6g •Saturates: 0.5g •Salt: trace •

Nestlé Shredded Wheatper 100g

Sugar: 0.9g •Fat: 2.5g •Saturates: 0.5g •Salt: trace •

Sainsbury’s Wholegrain Mini Wheatsper 100g

Sugar: 0.7g •Fat: 2.3g •Saturates: 0.5g •Salt: < 0.1g •

Worst of the bunch:Nestlé Fruitful Shredded Wheat hasmore sugar per 100g than NestléHoney Nut Shredded Wheat, but someof this sugar comes from fruit.

Nestlé Fruitful Shredded Wheat per 100g

Sugar: 25.1g •Fat: 5.1g •Saturates: 2.5g •Salt: Trace •

Nestlé Honey Nut Shredded Wheat per 100g


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TOASTED RICE

The downsideThe sugar content can be high – all ofthe sugared varieties get a red light forsugar. One of the plain cereals –Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Multigrain – isalso high in sugar at 20g per 100g.Only one of the cereals – Tesco ValueRice Snaps – gets a green light for salt.

BenefitsAll of the cereals are low in fat andsaturates, and none of them containhydrogenated fats. One – Kellogg’s RiceKrispies Multigrain – is high in fibre.

Best of the bunch:Tesco Value Rice Snaps


Worst of the bunch:There’s not much in it between thedifferent chocolate-flavour rice cereals,but Kellogg’s Coco Pops have marginallyhigher levels of fat, saturates and saltper 100g – although a touch less sugar.Kellogg’s Ricicles are the highest insugar.

Kellogg’s Coco Pops per 100g

Sugar: 37g •Fat: 3g •Saturates: 1.5g •Salt: 1.15g •

WHEAT BISCUITS

The downsideAll of the cereals get an amber light forsalt, and the flavoured varieties also geta red light for sugar, plus levels of fat(and saturates for Weetabix MinisChocolate Crisp) are higher than in theplain versions.

BenefitsThe plain versions all get green lightsfor sugar, fat and saturates. All of thecereals are high in fibre, and none ofthem contains hydrogenated fat.

Best of the bunch:There’s almost nothing in it between theplain wheat biscuits, although Sainsbury’sBasics 36 Breakfast Wheat Biscuits andTesco Value Wheat Biscuits have slightlylower levels of sugar and saturates per100g, and they are among those withsome of the lowest levels of salt.

Sainsbury’s Basics 36 Wheat Biscuitsper 100g


Tesco Value Wheat Biscuitsper 100g


Worst of the bunch:Weetabix Minis Chocolate Crisp


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FACT:

16%of childrenaged 2 to 15are obese

MISCELLANEOUS

This group includes cereals that don’tfit easily into any of the other groups,and which aren’t specifically marketedto children. They include cerealsranging from Nestlé CinnamonGrahams, Morrisons Choco Dots toTesco Breakfast Boulders. There are nooverall downsides or benefits becauseof the diversity of the cereals in thisgroup. But two cereals are worthhighlighting for the differences in theirnutrients. None of these cereals containhydrogenated fats. Nestlé GoldenGrahams was the only other cereal inthis group with two reds for sugar andsalt, but it has greens for fat andsaturates. The salt content is, however,higher than Cinammon Grahams.

Best of the bunch:Kellogg’s Kashi Original Seven Grains

per 100gSugar: 1g •Fat: 3g •Saturates: 0.4g •Salt: Trace •

Worst of the bunch:Nestlé Cinnamon Grahams


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CARTOONS AND COMPETITIONS

We counted 52 cereals targeting childrenthrough methods such as free giveaways,competitions, cartoon characters or kid-friendly images.

Most of the cereals we looked at (46 outof the 52) that are marketed to childrenare high in sugar – just three get a greenlight for low sugar under the FSAguidelines: Morrisons Instant Hot OatCereal, Tesco Kids Wholegrain Porridgeand Weetabix Ready Brek Original.

Salt was also a problem – 13 per centgot a red light for high salt. Only 29per cent got a green light for low salt.

None of the cereals marketed to childrenare high in fat overall, although five arehigh in saturates: Mornflake Pecan &Maple Crisp, Kellogg’s Coco Pops Straws,and the three flavours of Oatso Simple forKids. The Oatso Simple range, Asda ChocoSquares and Mornflake Chocolatey Squaresalso contain hydrogenated fat, whichmeans trans fats may be an ingredient.

Best of the bunch:Tesco Kids Wholegrain Porridge

per 100gSugar: 0.8g •Fat: 5.1g •Saturates: 0.8g •Salt: Trace •

Sainsbury’s Malties per 100g


Morrisons Instant Hot Oat Cereal andWeetabix Ready Brek Original are alsobetter options, although these havehigher amounts of fat.

Morrisons Instant Hot Oat Cerealper 100g


Weetabix Ready Brek Originalper 100g

Sugar: 1.8g •Fat: 8.7g •Saturates: 1.2g •Salt: <0.1 •

Worst of the bunch:Quaker Oatso Simple for Kids (anyflavour) is high in sugar, saturates andcontains hydrogenated fat, although theoats do provide fibre. Kellogg’s CocoPops Straws and Mornflake Pecan &Maple Crisp get red lights for sugar andsaturates. The Mornflake cereal alsocontains oats.

Quaker Oatso Simple Kids (any flavour)

per 100gSugar: 32g •Fat: 12-13g •Saturates: 5.5-6.0g •Salt: Trace •Contains hydrogenated vegetable fat

Kellogg’s Coco Pops Strawsper 100g

Sugar: 34g •Fat: 12g •Saturates: 6g •Salt: 0.25g •

Mornflake Pecan & Maple Crispper 100g

Sugar: 24.9g •Fat: 17.1g •Saturates: 6g •Salt: Trace •

campaign report 19

PESTER POWER

Which? is not against marketing tochildren in itself. But we are against theway industry uses its considerableinfluence to make parents’ lives harderand children’s lives less healthy usingmethods such as tie-ins with the latestfilms, free gifts and competitions.

“I know the food producers and sellershave to make money, but it's hugely irre-sponsible to target children, who have noconcept of what healthy food is and whythey should eat it.” Lisa, Leeds

AAssddaa uses its own cartoon characters toappeal to kids – chocolate monsters andspaceships on its Choco Flakes, andpenguins on its Frosted Flakes. But thesmiling cartoon robots on the front ofAsda’s Golden Puffs will attract childrento a very high-sugar cereal – it containsmore than 10 teaspoons of sugar per100g.

“If only food manufacturers could use thecartoon characters and the cute shapesto promote the healthier foods. In myexperience, children do not need moreencouragement to eat the really sugaryfoods – they sell themselves! Why doeshealthy have to be boring?” Ann, Bracknell

KKeelllloogggg’’ss entices children to its high-sugar cereals with free ice lolly makersinside packs and an advert for the filmIce Age 2. When we shopped, Kellogg’sRicicles, fronted by Captain Rik thespaceman, carried a competition to winKing Kong toys. But this cereal contains10 teaspoons of sugar per 100g.

Packs of Kellogg’s Frosties ReducedSugar include a free football traininggadget. This cereal may have a thirdless sugar than regular Frosties, but ithas slightly more salt.

Kellogg’s Bratz Rock Angelz cereal is asugary advertising vehicle for the BratzTV series and branded products such asgames and dolls. But this cereal doesn’tscore a single green light on the FSAscale and has a red for sugar.

MMoorrrriissoonnss targets children with picturesof the Magic Roundabout DVD and videoon the front of the pack and the chanceto win a trip to Florence, which couldhook in parents if the kids don’t go forthe bait. This promotion is carried onpacks of the supermarket’s Instant HotOat Cereal, a better choice for kids. Butit’s also on Morrisons Malties and HoneyHoops, which are high in sugar.

MMoorrnnffllaakkee Pecan & Maple Crisp targetschildren with its ‘Famous Five classicchildren’s books’ offer on the front ofthe box. Yet with 6g of saturates per100g it has a red traffic light. Thesame offer is on the company’s high-sugar Chocolatey Squares, whichcontain hydrogenated fat. Its StrawberryCrisp cereal, also high in sugar, carriesa promotion for toy cars.

NNeessttlléé draws kids towards its onlineworld of fun but the fantasy world isn’tflagged on packs of ‘School Fuel’Shreddies – just on packs of cerealswith more than twice as much sugarper 100g. The website says: ‘Check outour new packs of Golden Nuggets,

Targetingchildren

Our Kids’ Food campaign is calling for an end to the irresponsible marketing ofunhealthy foods to children. The problem is acute: in England, one in four 11 to15 year olds is now classed as obese, with similar trends across the UK. It’s hightime the food and marketing industries acknowledged the role they play in this.


FACT:

A serving ofKellogg’s RiceKrispies or AsdaChoco Flakeswould providearound a quarterof the amount ofsalt a three-yearold should haveeach day

Cookie Crisp and Nesquik for double thefun! Open the back for tons of gamesand quizzes’.

Similarly, Nestlé’s Football Crisp carriesFIFA World Cup Branding, which willappeal to soccer-mad kids. But thecereal has a high sugar content.

QQuuaakkeerr Oatso Simple for Kids usesbright colours and cartoon faces, but thecereal is high in sugar and saturates,and contains hydrogenated fat.

The Honey Monster peeks from behindthe bowl on Quaker Sugar Puffs, whichare a ‘new lower sugar variety’ with‘less than 2 teaspoons of sugar perserving’. While this is a sizablereduction from last time we looked(35g per 100g sugar instead of 49gper 100g), it still gets a red light.

SSaaiinnssbbuurryy’’ss cereals target children withcartoon bowls on ice skates. Of thosetargeted at children, all but the Maltiesand Rice Pops get a red light for sugarand the supermarket’s Choco Flakes,Frosted Flakes, Hooplas and Rice Popsare high in salt too. Sainsbury's GoldenPuffs have a very high amount of sugarper 100g – around 12 teaspoons. ItsKids Wholegrain Caramel Stars Cerealwith Prebiotic are also high in sugar.Even the Reduced Sugar Frosted Flakesare still high in sugar, although thiscereal has less salt than the regularversion.

TTeessccoo cereals include the Tesco Kidsrange, which is ‘a range of healthierfood and drinks’ and claims to ‘meetstrict rules on fat, sugar and salt’. ButTesco Kids Multigrain Stars withPrebiotic and Tesco Kids MultigrainCocoa Cereal with Prebiotic still get ared light for sugar. The best choice isTesco Kids Wholegrain Porridge withPrebiotic, with green lights for sugar,saturates and salt.

WWeeeettaabbiixx Honey or Chocolate Weetosdangle a golden carrot on the front ofthe packet, alongside a Wallace &Gromit competition to win an animationday for ‘you and your classmates’, aPlaystation 2 and a game. Both cerealsget a red light for sugar.

For detailed information on thenutritional content of thefeatured children’s cereals, go towww.which.co.uk/cereals

FURTHER DETAILS

Targetingchildren

JOIN OUR

KIDS’ FOOD CAMPAIGN

We will be working to strengthen theseproposals as well as the controls overnon-broadcast advertising andpromotion, such as the use ofpackaging, free gifts, and the internetand computer games. If the industrywill not deliver, the Government mustkeep its promise and legislate to ensurethat foods high in fat, sugar or salt canno longer be promoted to children.

The FSA has developed a nutrient-profiling system to use with theadvertising restrictions to identifywhich foods are high in fat, sugar andsalt. The researchers at OxfordUniversity who developed this systemfor the FSA looked at the cerealstargeted at children we’ve included, tosee whether they would be able to beadvertised or not if it is used. Just 15 ofthe 52 cereals would be able to beadvertised using the FSA model*.

You can help by joining our campaign.Go to www.which.co.uk/kidsfood andtell us what you think aboutirresponsible marketing to children.

“I am a parent and a communitydietician and am exhausted in trying tocombat the advertising messages thatundermine my parental role and mywork.” Pam, Teignbridge

“We periodically have to ban our 5 year-old twins from watching TV in themornings because we are fed up with thebarrage of requests for junk food andjunk toys, which follows.” Hible, Corsham

“At 3 and 6 my children are starting totake close notice of packaging,particularly cereals. We choose the"healthier" options but I can already seehow pester power can develop with thebribe of free toys with food products. I dohave concerns as they grow older.” Paul, Totnes

campaign report 21

We want to see responsible marketing from food companies, to help make thehealthy choice an easy choice. The Government has challenged industry to tightenmarketing codes for children. Communications regulator Ofcom has been asked tolook at controls for TV advertising. But Which? research shows that none ofOfcom’s proposals go far enough. They wouldn’t cater for older children, just thoseunder 10 years old, and they would still leave the way open for manufacturers touse their own cartoon characters to advertise unhealthy foods to children andduring evening times when under-10s are watching the most television.

*Research was carried out by Dr Mike Rayner, Anna Boxer and colleagues at the British HeartFoundation Health Promotion Research Group at Oxford University. Calculations were based onthe assumption that fibre was measured using the AOAC method (unless otherwise stated onthe pack). The AOAC method is the one recommended by the FSA.

Which? asked best-selling author Annabel Karmel, to write some tipsto help parents deal with the unhealthy marketing tricks. For yourcopy go to www.which.co.uk/parenttips

FURTHER DETAILS

campaign report22

Targetingchildren

CALLING FOR ACTION

While manufacturers have made someefforts to reduce the salt levels in theirbreakfast cereals, some products arestill very salty. And we still found lotsof products with high levels of sugar.Despite their healthy image, somecereals also have high levels of fat andsaturates and contain hydrogenatedvegetable fat, which may contain transfats. Some products even make healthclaims despite having high levels ofsugar and salt.

We’re particularly concerned that mostcereals marketed to children are stillhigh in sugar and many are high insalt too.

Which? wants cerealmanufacturers to:

> Stop marketing products high in fat,sugar or salt to children

> Stop making health claims on products high in fat, sugar and salt. EU legislation will take time to comeinto effect so we would like to seecompanies voluntarily curbing thesemisleading practices

> Help consumers to identify the amountsof fat, sugar, salt and saturates in theirfoods by applying the FSA’s traffic lightlabelling system to their products

> Make further cuts to salt levels, reducefat (including saturates) and sugar andremove all unnecessary trans fats

There has been a dramatic increase in levels of public concern about obesity anddiet-related disease since we looked at cereals two years ago. But our researchshows the industry has taken little action, particularly on sugar.

This report highlights the best and worst options fromtwelve different categories of cereals. For fullinformation on the 275 cereals Which? analysed,including how much fat, saturated fat, sugar and saltthey contain and whether these levels are high,medium or low based on the Food StandardsAgency’s proposed criteria for its multiple traffic lightlabelling scheme, go to www.which.co.uk/cereals anddownload our "Breakfast Breakdown".

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For further information please contact:[email protected] Tel: 0207 770 7214.

More information can also be found on our website (www.which.co.uk/campaigns)

Published by: Which?, 2 Marylebone Road, London NW1 4DF.

Which? campaigns actively for all consumers. With around 700,000 members in the UK,we are the largest consumer organisation in Europe. Entirely independent of governmentand industry, we are funded through sales of our consumer magazines, online products and books.

Which? is the operational name of Consumers' Association - a registered charity No 296072.

Cereal Reoffenders

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Transcript of Cereal Reoffenders