Nestle to Reduce Sugar Content in Cereals

Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), Nestl’s 50/50 joint venture with General Mills, has committed to reducing the sugar content of 20 Nestl breakfast cereal brands popular with children and teenagers to 9g or less per serving by the end of 2015.
 

The changes will mean Nestl breakfast cereals will have a sugar reduction of up to 30 percent across brands including Nesquik, Chocapic, Honey Cheerios, and Milo.

The reductions in sugar will be made alongside other nutritional improvements. Specifically, whole grain will be the main ingredient in all the new recipes.

The amount of calcium per serving will be increased to at least 15 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA), which varies in different parts of the world. The sodium content will also be reduced to 135mg or less per serving.

CPW aims to help consumers boost their intake of whole grain by providing a minimum of 8g per serving in the majority of Nestl breakfast cereals.
 

“We were the first global breakfast cereals producer to add whole grain to our products and we have been steadily increasing the amount since 2003,” says Jeff Harmening, president and CEO of Cereal Partners Worldwide. “We continue to improve our products to provide consumers with essential nutrients while preserving the tastes they enjoy as part of our commitment to nutrition, health and wellness."
 

Although CPW is reducing sugar in Nestl breakfast cereals, their energy content will remain roughly the same. Sugar is being replaced with other ingredients, typically other carbohydrates, which contain a similar amount of calories.
 

Nestl and General Mills set up Cereal Partners Worldwide in 1990 to produce and sell breakfast cereals outside North America. Today, CPW is the world’s number-two breakfast cereal company outside North America, with Europe being its largest market.