TheObesity Policy Coalition
(OPC)
analysed
the labels
of
20 popular
breakfast cereals and found that the majority
of products
carried
health
y
sounding
claim
s
such as a ‘source of fibre’
,
‘69% wholegrain’ and ‘no artificial
flavours’
–
though
some
contain
ed
more than one third sugar
.

Jane Martin, Executive Manager of the
OPC, believes consumers deserve the
right to a clearer picture about what they are eating and the Coalition
is urging
all
cereal manufacturers to adopt Australia’s voluntary Health Star Rating
labelling system.

Ms Martin says:
“
For example, m
any
breakfast
cereals contain high levels of
sugar, but
manufacturers
use
all sorts of
creative phrases
on their labels
to
give consumers the impression
they’re
a nutritious choice for breakfast.
It’s as
though they are
prepared to tell
consumers only half the story.

“Many parents would be horrified to learn that
for every three mouthful
s
of

Nutri

Grain
, one is just sugar, while a small bowl contains twice as much
sodium
as a small packet of chips.

“
The Health Star Rating System was introduced
more than
a year ago
to
help
consumers
compare the overall nutritional quality of products at a glance
. The
system help
s
consumers
better
understand
a product’s overall health rating
so they can make informed choices
,
but
our research
has
revealed
very few
cereals
, as yet,
carry
the star label,†Ms Martin says.

“
Clearer labelling through
such a system
is
a vital
step in helping co
nsumers
make healthier choices in an environment where
a
pproximately
63% of
Australian adults and
25% o
f Australian children are overweight or obese.

“
Nutrition panels can also provide helpful information if people know what the
information means.
When it comes to sugar, for example, knowing foods
containing over 1
5
grams of sugar per 100
grams are considered ‘high
’
in
sugar help
s
people decide whether th
at’s a product they want to eat.
Similarly for salt,
a product with
over
4
00mg of sodium
per 100 grams
is
considered high
in
salt.

“
Another thing for con
sumers to be aware of is that currently it
is not possible
to
distinguish between ‘added sugars’ and sugars derived from natural sources, such as dried fruit
.
It would be great to see this disclosed by
manufacturers.
“
We commend those companies
who
have
already
incorporated the voluntary
Star Rating System
on their packaging
including
Sanitarium, Uncle Tobys,
Coles and Woolworths
,†said Ms Martin.

Cereal offenders – What’s hiding in your cereal?

• Average sugar content of all 20 cereals analysed was 19.8g per 100g – that’s almost 20 per cent sugar
  . This equates
  to
  about 5
  teaspoons of
  sugar.

• Cereals with
  front-of-pack health claims that also contain high levels of
  sugar include Kellogg’s Coco Pops (36.5g per 100g) , Kellogg’s Nutri Grain,
  Kellogg’s Just Right
  (
  28.7g
  )
  and Uncle Toby’s Fruity Bites
  Wild Berry
  (24.8g)
  .

• The
  cereals
  with the most sugar were Kellogg’s Frosties(41.3g per 100g),Kellogg’s Froot Loops (38g) and Kellogg’s Coco Pops (36.5g) – all
  of which
  are
  heavily
  promoted to children.

• Top 5 cereal brands sold in supermarkets by value (according to Retail
  World, December 2014) are: Weetbix, Nutri-Grain, Uncle Toby’s Plus, Coco
  Pops, and Special K.

About the survey

In February 2015,
the OPC reviewed 20 popular breakfast cereals examining
sugar, salt and health claims on the packaging.

About the Obesity Policy Coalition

The Obesity Policy Coalition is a group of leading public health agencies who
are con
cerned about the escalating levels of overweight and obesity,
particularly in children.
The

Obesity Policy Coalition is a partnership between Diabetes Australia

Vic, Cancer Council Victoria and the World Health Organization Collaborating
Centre for Obesi
ty Prevention at Deakin University, with funding from
VicHealth.