Nestle to reduce sugar content in cereals

Cereal Partners Worldwide – the cereal joint-venture between Nestlé and General Mills – will cut the sugar content of its products in the UK by 10 per cent by the end of 2018.

In a bid to make its range healthier, Nestlé said the move will cut around 225 million teaspoons of sugar from the UK population’s diet.

The changes will be achieved through a combination of reformulation and by growing the share of lower sugar variants. Since 2010, Nestlé Breakfast Cereals in the UK said it has reduced its average sugar content by 15 per cent across its portfolio.

Nestlé Breakfast Cereals claimed to have worked for over a decade on reducing sugar and salt while increasing levels of whole grain. Nestlé cereals sold in the UK in 2016 contained an additional 3,600 tonnes of whole grain compared with 2003 levels.

Gharry Eccles, UK regional vice president of Cereal Partners Worldwide, stated that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and their cereals provide vitamins, minerals and fibre to the diet. Offering consumers healthier and tastier cereals is one of the top priorities and they are determined to make breakfast even better for everyone.

The company is planning to make the cereals free from artificial flavours and colours across the entire product portfolio by the end of this year.

Last year Nestlé claimed to make a major breakthrough that could reduce the amount of sugar in its chocolate bars by 40 per cent.