Kellogg's cuts salt in new product design for corn flakes

Reflecting ongoing pressure on food makers to slice the salt out of
their food formulations, breakfast cereals leader Kellogg has
launched a new version of its flagship corn flake product with 25
per cent less salt.

The US firm will roll out onto the UK market this week Kellogg's Corn Flakes that contain 0.55g of salt in one 30g serving, contributing 9 per cent of Guideline Daily Amount (GDA).

Condemned for contributing to the worsening health problems in the population, consumer groups have come down hard on the food manufacturers pushing them to slash salt in food recipes.

Eating too much salt is a significant risk factor in developing high blood pressure, itself a cause or contributing factor in the rising incidence of heart disease, the world's number one killer.

Recent figures from the UK's food agency claim that every day at least 26 million people eat more than the recommended daily limit of 6g of salt. Men are eating the most with a daily average of 11.0g of salt while women consume an average of 8.1g a day.

But targets published recently by Blair's government in the White Paper on Public Health say the food industry must contribute to reducing the salt intake of the population to 6g per person per day by 2010.

The government estimates that processed foods, from soups and sauces to breakfast cereals and snacks, contribute about 75 per cent to people's salt intakes.

Acting as a flavour enhancer, bringing 'saltiness' to products, and preserving, simply cutting cheap salt out of formulations is a challenge for food developers.

Speaking to FoodNavigator.com, a spokesperson for Kellogg's says the firm has not replaced the 25 cent reduction in salt with any other ingredient in the new Corn Flakes brand.

"There is no additional sodium, but slightly more corn."

The 25 per cent salt reduction in Corn Flakes also applies to other Kellogg's brands based on corn flakes - including Kellogg's Frosties and Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes.

The firm added that, as a member of the Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers (ACFM), it supports the industry-wide commitment to a 10 per cent reduction in salt levels in cereals by the end of 2005 "subject to consumer preference. "

Last month the UK's government-funded Food Standards Agency reported that more than 60 organisations and companies had submitted plans committing to reduce the level of salt in processed foods.

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