Smart Choices symbol debuts on select Kellogg cereals in the U.S.

Beginning this summer, consumers will have another way to help them make wise food choices when the Smart Choices symbol begins appearing on food and beverage products from many of the nation’s top brands.

Kellogg and many other peer companies have partnered with a diverse coalition of scientists, nutritionists and consumer organizations to develop Smart Choices to help shoppers make smarter food and beverage choices within 19 product categories. 

The Smart Choices symbol is a uniform, front-of-pack symbol across multiple product categories. It provides quick assurance that a product has met strict science-based nutrition criteria based on consensus science from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, reports from the Institute of Medicine and other authoritative nutrition guidance.

The Smart Choices Program is intended to harmonize existing front-of-pack nutrition labeling icons and symbols. Participating companies have begun to use the Smart Choices Program symbol and calorie information to replace their own nutritional labeling symbols and icons. The intent is to provide a single, simple communication for the consumer – regardless of which brands they buy or which stores they shop in. 

For Kellogg, the Smart Choices symbol will join our existing fact-based Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) Nutrition at a Glance informationon the front of many of our U.S. ready-to-eat cereal packages beginning in August.

"Kellogg will use GDAs and Smart Choices in harmony, as both of these systems are designed to educate consumers and help them make wise food choices for a healthy lifestyle," says Celeste Clark, Senior Vice President, Global Nutrition, Corporate Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer. "We believe the two work together to accomplish this purpose."

GDAs provide a simple, fact-based Nutrition at a Glance label that makes it easy for consumers to make informed choices by quickly assessing the nutrients that most healthcare professionals indicate they need "less of" in the diet. The system also highlights two of the positive nutrients most Americans need more of.

"Kellogg Company has a long-history of providing helpful nutritional information on pack," Celeste says. "We support food-labeling systems that help consumers make informed food choices and believe the best approach is transparent, grounded in sound science. To this end, Kellogg pioneered the use of GDAs, a fact-based labeling approach now in place in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, Mexico and many other markets around the world."

Many of Kellogg’s U.S. ready-to-eat cereals will include the Smart Choices symbol, including All-Bran, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Corn Flakes, Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, Frosted Mini-Wheats and Special K.

To qualify for the Smart Choices program, cereals must meet specific nutritional benchmarks, including 12 grams or less of sugar and 240 miligrams or less of sodium. In addition, products must be at least a good source of at least one "nutrient to encourage" from the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, including fiber, calcium, potassium, magnesium, or vitamins A, C or E.

Approximately 500 products from many of the nation’s leading food companies have already qualified for the Smart Choices Program designation. In addition to Kellogg, other participating companies include ConAgra Foods, General Mills, Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, Sun-Maid, Tyson and Unilever (U.S.). By May 2010, more than 1,200 products will feature the symbol and calorie indicator.