INDUSTRY NEWS
Kraft to emphasize nutritious food products
Kraft Foods Inc., Northfield, Ill., plans to increase the visibility of many of the nutritious products in its portfolio through a new labeling program and a change in the mix of products that it advertises to children.
The Sensible Solution labeling program, which will be available in the United States beginning in April, will help consumers to easily identify Kraft’s "better-for-you" food and beverage products. Some of the products that will carry the flag are Kraft 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat cheese, Post Shredded Wheat cereal, Minute Rice Instant whole-grain brown rice, Triscuit Original baked whole-grain wheat crackers, and Crystal Light beverages. Plans are underway to launch similar programs in other countries.
The company will also begin to advertise in media viewed and listened to primarily by children ages 6–11 products that qualify for the Sensible Solution label and will phase out advertising for products that do not. Some well-known Kraft products, including Kool-Aid beverages, Oreo and Chips Ahoy! cookies, several Post children’s cereals, and many varieties of Lunchables lunch combinations, will no longer be advertised in these media.
Kraft will use nutrition criteria that are derived from the proposed 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines and authoritative statements from the Food & Drug Administration, National Academy of Sciences, and other public health authorities to administer the plans. Visit http://kraft.com/responsibility/home.aspx and http://kraftfoods.com/kf/HealthyLiving/sensiblesolutions for more information.
Kellogg’s UK packaging features nutrition counter
A new nutrition counter now appears on the packaging of all Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Mich., cereals sold in the United Kingdom.
The Guideline Daily Amount Counter, which shows total amounts of calories, fat, saturated fat, salt, calcium, iron, total sugar, and fiber, is displayed in a bar chart along the top of the packages. Now consumers can tell exactly what is in a portion of cereal and how this compares to guideline levels of different nutrients for the entire day. A side panel explains the counter and its benefits so that it can be understood and used properly.
Consumer research on nutrition information conducted for the company shows that the public wants clearer nutrition information available on product packaging.
Tyson removes trans fats from its food products
One year after announcing an initiative to remove trans fat from its breaded chicken products, Tyson Foods Inc., Springdale, Ark., has completed the process in its fully cooked breaded poultry retail and "child nutrition" school foodservice products.
The company says that it is the first national processor and marketer of meat protein to accomplish the goal of removing trans fat from consumer products, which comes one year ahead of the FDA trans fat labeling regulations.
While Tyson chicken, beef, and pork are naturally low in trans fat, the company said that it changed its recipes to offer consumers a healthier choice without sacrificing product taste and quality.
Whole Foods Market launches foundation
Whole Foods Market, Austin, Tex., has launched the Animal Compassion Foundation, which will help meat producers achieve a higher standard of animal welfare excellence and support animals’ physical needs and well-being while still maintaining economic viability.
The foundation will provide research funds to animal scientists at universities around the world to address any challenges faced by producers trying to raise animals more compassionately; create an online library of animal-compassionate methods to help ranchers and farmers successfully convert their methods of handling animals to more compassionate methods; and create a network of animal-compassionate ranchers and farmers who will share their knowledge of animal welfare.
For more information, visit www.animalcompassionfoundation.org.
by KAREN BANASIAK
Assistant Editor
[email protected]