- Kellogg will double the amount of vitamin D in many of its cereals during the coming year to provide half of the average adult's daily requirement in each serving, Nutrition Insight reports.
- The company will increase vitamin D levels to 2.5 micrograms per serving in the UK and Ireland, as well as in other European and Middle Eastern markets, to combat widespread deficiency. An estimated one in five people in the UK is deficient in the micronutrient. An estimated six in 10 households consume Kellogg's cereals.
- The brands increasing vitamin D content include Coco Pops, Rice Krispies, Frosties, Corn Flakes, Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes, Special K, Bran Flakes, Sultana Bran, Fruit n Fibre, Disney cereals, Krave, and Honey Loops.
The move to boost vitamin D levels is part of a much wider initiative from Kellogg. It also has cut sugar in Coco Pops by 40%, slashed sodium and introduced new organic and vegan lines in the UK.
The company has been reformulating its products globally to improve its health profile, especially as the breakfast cereal category has struggled. In the UK, retail value sales of cereals declined 4% in 2017, while they fared only slightly better in the U.S., dropping 2%.
Cereal makers have seen significant competition from more convenient, on-the-go breakfast options, but even as sales have declined, manufacturers remain optimistic. After all, 89% of U.S. consumers say they still eat cereal for breakfast, while 43% eat it as a snack, according to Mintel.
Many of Kellogg's products in the U.S. are fortified with vitamin D at a level that provides 25% of an average adult’s recommended intake, as they have been in the UK and Ireland until now.
Vitamin D deficiency affects about one in ten Americans, and many have low levels of the micronutrient. However, milk in the United States is already fortified with vitamin D, making it the nation’s number one source. Milk generally is not fortified in the UK where fortified cereals provide more of the vitamin than any other food.
Vitamin D fortification is unlikely to attract new consumers to particular cereal brands – or win them back from other breakfast choices – but as part of a wider package of health-boosting measures, it could help keep Kellogg's cereals in consumers' minds as a healthy breakfast option.
