Morning has broken

Citation

(2009), "Morning has broken", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 39 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2009.01739eab.026

Morning has broken

Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 39, Issue 5.

Its pitched as the most important meal of the day, but with only 8 per cent of cereals getting a green light for healthy sugar levels, many Britons are waking up to poor nutrition, a new Which? report has uncovered[1].

Adults and children have a hard job finding a healthy start to the day, as cereal companies continue to add large amounts of sugar to their top brands.

Thirty-one cereals out of the 100 looked at contained more than four teaspoons of sugar per recommended serving and only one of the 28 cereals specifically marketed to children was found not to be high in sugar (but was still high in salt).

The report "Going against the grain", analysed 100 leading UK cereals.

Sue Davies, Chief Policy Adviser, Which? said: "Breakfast is important, and some cereals deserve their healthy image, but most simply don't. It's especially shocking that almost all those targeted at children are less healthy. With such little choice, it's a daily struggle for consumers".

"Cereal manufacturers need to wake up to the fact that people want to eat healthily and provide them with the means to do so by reducing sugar and salt levels and making labelling clearer. With over a billion pounds spent on cereals every year, it's time they rose to the occasion. "

For more information visit: www.which.co.uk/cereals

Note 1. In January 2009, we bought 100 cereals from the main supermarkets. Products were chosen based on their current market share. We excluded hot cereals and mueslis from our research because, despite growth in sales in recent years, they remain a small percentage of the market overall. We looked at the amount of fat, saturates, sugar and salt that the 100 cereals contained and applied the Food Standard Agency's (FSA) traffic light labelling system where possible, which uses red, amber and green symbols to show whether levels of these nutrients are high, medium or low. We also analysed the cereals using the FSA's nutrient profiling scheme (see below), which determines whether products are a "healthier" or "less-healthy" choice and looked to see how they were promoted, including techniques targeted at children and any nutrition or health claims that are made on their behalf.Which? research in 2006 (Cereal re-offenders) looked at 275 cereals and found that leading cereal manufacturers all too often make inappropriate use of "health claims" on less healthy foods, heavily promote sugary cereals to children or fail to use clear, transparent front-of-pack labelling. We wanted to see how much progress has been made over the past three years. We found that there has been some improvement particularly in relation to reducing salt levels in the cereals. However, it can still be a struggle to find a healthy choice.In 2007, the total UK cereals market (ready to eat and hot cereals) added up to £31.37bn (Mintel: Breakfast Cereals, UK, February 2008)Which? has been campaigning for many years for governments and the food industry to do more to help consumers make healthy eating choices. Our research (Jan 2009) has shown that four out of five people are actively trying to make healthier choices, but there are still many barriers that make it difficult for them. For more information, please visit www.which.co.uk/hungryWhich? campaigns on issues that matter to all consumers, from food to finances. Consumer decisions are not just about choosing the right product. A mis-sold pension, medical error, shoddy estate agent or a botched building job can have severe consequences. For more information visit: www.which.co.uk/campaigns