St John’s Parish Primary School students Eloise (grade 4) and Jordan (grade 6) enjoy a bowl of cereal at the school’s breakfast club. Kelloggs. Sultana Bran. Rice Bubbles. Corn Flakes. Source: News Limited
NEXT time you are in the supermarket aisle scanning the shelves aimlessly for a cereal that doesn’t have the sugar content of a birthday cake, you might want to look to the stars.
One of the biggest food manufacturers in Australia today announced that it is implementing the voluntary Health Star Ratings on all of its cereals across Australia and New Zealand from the beginning of June 2015.
And the cereals which comes out on top? Kellogg’s All-Bran® Original, All-Bran® Wheat Flakes and Guardian® which all probably taste as bland as they sound but they do get the coveted five-star rating.
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The star rating scheme was developed by industry, public health and consumer experts and governments to help shoppers quickly compare the healthiness of products. The star rating takes into account the amount of salt, sugar and saturated fat in products per 100 grams.
More than 70 per cent of Kellogg’s cereals, or 26 products in the range, have a rating of between 4 and 5 health stars, with the total range spanning 1.5 to 5 stars. Crispix comes out the worst on one star while Nutri-Grain, Frosties, Fruit Loops, Crunchy Nut Cornflakes and Coco Pops all get two. Special K and Just Right garnered four stars each while Rice Bubbles sits on three.
Kellogg’s has long supported front-of-pack labelling, including being the first manufacturer in Australia and New Zealand to put daily intake information on the front of its packs. The daily intake information and nutrition information panels will remain on pack.
Consumer advocacy group Choice celebrated the move by Kellogg’s but says more needs to be done.
“While it is great to see Kellogg’s is on board, iconic brands such as McCain, PepsiCo, and Mars are still refusing to serve up the information consumers need,” said Choice spokesperson Tom Godfrey.
Originally published as Which Kellogg’s cereal is the worst?