I’ve had a chance to learn more, and I’m now wondering if the concessions that the Kellogg Co. made this week are enough in terms of limiting sugar content in the foods it advertises to kids under age 12.
You see, I was initially really excited about what I perceived to be momentous changes afoot at the Kellogg Co. So I happily, quickly and eagerly announced the agreement here that CSPI had reached with the company after a year and a half of negotiations. (I was in the midst of many things that day so I didn’t have time to delve into this extensively. This is a really hectic week for me because of the CBS News Sunday Morning story on sugar and also because I’m in the middle of a move but still haven’t found a new place yet.)
Remember to watch CBS News Sunday Morning this Sunday or set your TiVos, because sugar is the topic of its lead story.
Anyhow, I’ve now had a chance to read this wonderful article from Andrew Martin of the New York Times. He was quite specific about the nutrition guidelines to which the Kellogg Co. agreed.
Of course, as the author SUGAR SHOCK!, I’m interested in the new sugar guidelines. (The agreement also calls for limiting calories, fat and sodium.)
Basically, under the new guidelines, to advertise to children under 12, one serving of cereal must have no more than 12 grams of sugar. That means one serving can have 3 teaspoons of sugar. (To arrive at that figure, you just divide by 4.)
Take for instance, Kellogg’s Cocoa Krispie’s — one of my favorites as a child. Well, you learn here that one serving is only 3/4 cup. So that means the cereal company can’t advertise this cereal to children under 12 because it has 14 grams of sugar (3.5 tsp.) in one serving.