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Kellogg Pledges Food Marketing Changes

Lawsuits Dropped in Exchange for Company's Cooperation

June 14, 2007
Cereal maker Kellogg says it will adopt new, more aggressive nutrition standards for the foods it advertises to young children. In response, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), and two Massachusetts parents will drop a pending lawsuit against the company.

Foods advertised on media -- including TV, radio, print, and third-party Web sites -- that have an audience of 50 percent or more children under age 12 will have to meet Kellogg’s new nutrition standards, which require that one serving of the food has:

• No more than 200 calories
• No more than zero grams of trans fat and no more than 2 grams of saturated fat
• No more than 230 milligrams of sodium (except for Eggo frozen waffles)
• No more than 12 grams of sugar (excluding sugar from fruit, dairy, and vegetables). Kellogg will continue its practice of not advertising to children under 6.

In addition, Kellogg will not advertise any foods in schools attended by children under age 12.

Kellogg also said it will no longer use licensed characters on mass-media advertising directed primarily to kids under 12, as a basis for a food form or on the front labels of food packages unless those foods meet the nutrition standards.

“We are pleased to work collaboratively with industry and advocacy groups to unveil these standards,” said David Mackay, president and chief executive officer, Kellogg Company. “We feel the Kellogg Nutrient Criteria set a new standard for responsibility in the industry.”

“By committing to these nutrition standards and marketing reforms, Kellogg has vaulted over the rest of the food industry,” said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson.

“As a practical matter, this commitment means that parents will find it a little easier to steer their children toward healthy food choices — especially if other food manufacturers and broadcasters follow Kellogg’s lead.”

Products that don’t meet the criteria will either be reformulated to meet the Nutrient Criteria or they will no longer be marketed to children under 12 by the end of 2008. The nutrition standard will guide targeted future innovation and product development.

Over time, Kellogg will work toward providing consumers even more product choices with enhanced nutritional value.

“This agreement represents a significant step toward reducing marketing to children,” said Susan Linn, co-founder of the CCFC. “CCFC is particularly pleased that Kellogg will end in-school advertising to children under 12 and restrict its use of licensed media characters. It’s our hope that other companies will follow suit.”

In January 2006, CSPI, CCFC, and two Massachusetts parents, Sherri Carlson and Andrew Leong, announced their intent to sue Kellogg and Viacom, parent company of the Nickelodeon children’s television network.

Six weeks before the planned lawsuit was announced, the prestigious Institute of Medicine had released a landmark report that found that the mix of foods advertised to kids is “at best, a missed opportunity, and, at worst, a direct threat to the health of the next generation.” Viacom is not a party to today’s announcement.

“We’re pleased that we were able to work collaboratively with Kellogg and that litigation proved not to be necessary,” said CSPI litigation director Steve Gardner, who along with Steve Skalet of the Washington, D.C., law firm of Mehri and Skalet, PLLC, negotiated for the prospective plaintiffs.

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