In order to qualify for a “good source of dietary fiber” claim under Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules, a product must contain 2.5 to 4.9 grams of fiber per serving, while “high fiber” refers to a product with five grams or more per serving. The newly reformulated Special K cereals have three grams of fiber per serving.
It is estimated that the average American consumes about 14 grams of fiber each day – well short of the 25 to 38 grams of fiber recommended by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the department says only one in five people eats the recommended amount. But according to a recent survey from market research organization Mintel, a quarter of respondents were unaware of the necessity of dietary fiber for overall health, regardless of digestive problems, and 27 percent said they did not like the taste of foods with added fiber.
The Kellogg Company is aware that many consumers worry that foods rich in fiber do not taste as good as lower fiber versions, so it is offering a money-back guarantee to consumers if they do not like the reformulated products.
Senior brand manager of the Special K brand at Kellogg’s Jesper Lund Jacobsen said: “We're excited to add positive nutrition to our portfolio of weight-management cereals…Special K cereals will continue to provide people with a simple solution to help them achieve realistic, attainable weight-loss goals."
According to Mintel, about 30 percent of consumers make a point of seeking out fiber-rich foods, and 37 percent say they can get enough fiber from their diets without eating added-fiber foods or taking fiber supplements.