Kellogg's cuts salt in breakfast cereals

Kellogg's today bowed to pressure from health campaigners and slashed the level of salt in three of its cereals.

From this week, Corn Flakes, Frosties and Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes will have their salt content cut by 25 per cent. The decision is one of the biggest changes to the Corn Flakes recipe since it was launched 80 years ago.

The amount of salt in a 50g bowl is falling from 1.19g to about 0.9g. The level of salt in Frosties is coming down from 0.75g to 0.58g.

The move follows mounting concern about the health threat posed by high salt levels, linked to heart attacks and strokes. It is recommended that an adult eats no more than 6g of salt a day. A six-year-old should have no more than 3g and a child under three just 2g.

Kellogg's claimed that in blind tests consumers preferred the low-salt Corn Flakes.

Alyson Greenhalgh-Ball, health and wellbeing manager at Kellogg's, said: "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day but one in five children is skipping it.

"Although breakfast cereals contribute no more than five per cent of the average adult salt intake, we are committed to helping consumers reduce the amount in their diets."

Health groups welcomed Kellogg's decision. Penelope Gilbert, nutritionist for salt reduction campaign group CASH, said: "We are very pleased. We now look forward to seeing reductions in their other products."

Last month CASH warned that a British child's typical diet, starting with cereal, could easily contain six times the daily recommended salt limit. Several foods it analysed, including Bernard Matthews Dinosaur turkey roll and Pepperami sticks, were saltier than seawater.

The Food Standards Agency has set a target of reducing salt intake in adults to 6g a day by

2009. Ms Gilbert said this would avert 35,000 deaths a year from heart attacks and strokes.

Today's move is the latest change of policy by Kellogg's, which has often been criticised by health campaigners, particularly because of its aggressive targeting of children.

Brands seen as unhealthy have lost popularity. Last year sales of Frosties, the sweetcoated cereal promoted by cartoon character Tony the Tiger, fell by ?5 million. At the same time Special K overtook Corn Flakes as Britain's favourite cereal.

Kellogg's have launched a reduced-sugar version of Frosties, and agreed to display levels of sugar, salt and fat prominently on the front of cereal packets.