Wednesday, 4 August 2010

Kellogg's and Misleading Maths

Reading the BBC Website today; I came across a story about the nation's favourite purveyor of sugar-infested garbage otherwise known as breakfast cereal.



Apparently they are planning to cut the sugar in their coco-pops cereal by 15% - Whilst I agree that 0.85*35 = 29.75 - it is a wee bit misleading to be triumphing this as a major reduction - If they had said we are reducing our sugar content by 5.25g (or approx 1 tsp) It really wouldn't have been a headline would it.

Interestingly enough at 29.75% this sugar content is still ridiculously high and let's face it, what comes out of the coco-pops packet is still pretty much 1/3 sugar.

This will cause children's insulin levels to rise and then they will be feeling hungry by mid-morning and unable to concentrate.

Kellogg's have said:
"This is a process, so while we have announced we are taking 15% of sugar out by mid-next year, we will go further if we can take people's palates with us."

Translation:
"We will continue to monitor the profitability of the brand and if people still buy it we may well reduce the levels further. We will reach a point at which the brand will become less profitable and then we will stop"
If anyone thinks that the likes of Kellogg's care two hoots about consumers and their health; they are sorely mistaken - The only thing Kellogg's care about is their margins.

This is why Kellogg's is a 'partner' in the 'Change4Life' program - To add legitimacy to its, frankly, unhealthy cereals that have got no place on the breakfast tables of the millions..  

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