+ Cereal Box Makeover - A conversation with Kellogg's Kris Charles
A few weeks ago, we posted about a new Kellogg's program called Nutrition at a Glance. We were lucky enough to speak with Kris Charles, spokesperson for Kellogg's, who told us more about the program and how the brand continues to stay focused on health and wellness.
What inspired Kellogg’s to initiate the Nutrition at a Glance program? What problems were your consumers having that led to this new labeling solution?
Kellogg was founded on the principles of health and wellness more than 100 years ago. We have a long history of putting helpful information on pack, and this is a natural step as we continue to build on that foundation. Research showed that time-pressed consumers want quicker, easier ways to make informed nutrition choices. The Nutrition at a Glance panel empowers consumers to make individual choices by showing them how a food fits into their daily diets.
Kellogg’s pioneered a similar labeling program in Europe. What did you learn there that helped you implement this program in the US?
Although it’s a seemingly obvious takeaway, we learned that awareness drives the acceptance of this type of program. We surveyed 500 adults in Europe a year after launching the program there, and we learned that consumers have high recognition and understanding of the Nutrition at a Glance program. In fact, 80 percent of European consumers said that they are aware of the labeling; 84 percent find them easy to understand and 82 percent would like to see it on even more product packaging.
Because health and wellness is so trendy right now, a lot of “healthy” products are just gimmicks, leading to skepticism among consumers. How do you ensure that shoppers take this innovation seriously?
The Nutrition at a Glance program is an education tool for consumers, not a marketing campaign or “gimmick” as you say. With so much confusion about nutrition in the marketplace, it is appropriate for manufacturers like Kellogg to provide the facts to help consumers make more informed choices about the foods they eat. Since we are sincerely trying to help educate them rather than tell them what to do, we expect that consumers will take this effort seriously.
You’re encouraging others in your industry to join in your efforts. What progress have you made there? How will this system be carried over consistently to other brands?
While we’re not able to speak for the whole industry, industry-wide progress has certainly been made. We’ve discussed this approach with other companies at ongoing industry forums, shared learnings from other markets where we’ve launched the Nutrition at a Glance program, and are encouraging their use as a standardized labeling method. In fact, General Mills announced that they would adopt the same front-of-pack labeling approach this past July.
We’ve seen that in the U.K., where currently more than 50 companies have adopted the Nutrition at a Glance tool. And top retailer Tesco is now using them on all of its packaging. Hopefully, we’ll see similar levels of adoption in the U.S. We will continue to work with others in the industry to bring forth information to help consumers make better informed choices about what they eat.
The Nutrition at a Glance program is a step in the right direction to giving consumers key information about their diets. What are Kellogg’s long term goals in terms of nutrition?
The Kellogg Company was founded more than 100 years ago with a foundation in health and nutrition. In fact, our founder, W.K. Kellogg said “We are a company of dedicated people making quality products for a healthier world.”
To that end, in June 2007, we announced that Kellogg is changing the products we market to children under 12 and how we market those products. We established an internal Global Nutrient Criteria standard (Nutrient Criteria) based on a broad review of scientific reports. Kellogg will apply the Nutrient Criteria to all products marketed to children around the world. Those products that don’t meet the criteria will either be reformulated to meet the Nutrient Criteria or they will not be marketed to children under 12 by the end of 2008. (Kellogg currently does not advertise to children under 6.)
The Kellogg Global Nutrient Criteria will also guide targeted future innovation and product development. Over time, the company will work toward providing consumers even more product choices with enhanced nutritional value.
As a company, we believe the notion of balance _ or “calories in, calories out” _ must remain the central tenet of any long-term solution to global obesity and weight management. We have a long-standing commitment to helping consumers successfully manage both sides of that equation.
To learn more, visit the Nutrition at a Glance website.
What inspired Kellogg’s to initiate the Nutrition at a Glance program? What problems were your consumers having that led to this new labeling solution?
Kellogg was founded on the principles of health and wellness more than 100 years ago. We have a long history of putting helpful information on pack, and this is a natural step as we continue to build on that foundation. Research showed that time-pressed consumers want quicker, easier ways to make informed nutrition choices. The Nutrition at a Glance panel empowers consumers to make individual choices by showing them how a food fits into their daily diets.
Kellogg’s pioneered a similar labeling program in Europe. What did you learn there that helped you implement this program in the US?
Although it’s a seemingly obvious takeaway, we learned that awareness drives the acceptance of this type of program. We surveyed 500 adults in Europe a year after launching the program there, and we learned that consumers have high recognition and understanding of the Nutrition at a Glance program. In fact, 80 percent of European consumers said that they are aware of the labeling; 84 percent find them easy to understand and 82 percent would like to see it on even more product packaging.
Because health and wellness is so trendy right now, a lot of “healthy” products are just gimmicks, leading to skepticism among consumers. How do you ensure that shoppers take this innovation seriously?
The Nutrition at a Glance program is an education tool for consumers, not a marketing campaign or “gimmick” as you say. With so much confusion about nutrition in the marketplace, it is appropriate for manufacturers like Kellogg to provide the facts to help consumers make more informed choices about the foods they eat. Since we are sincerely trying to help educate them rather than tell them what to do, we expect that consumers will take this effort seriously.
You’re encouraging others in your industry to join in your efforts. What progress have you made there? How will this system be carried over consistently to other brands?
While we’re not able to speak for the whole industry, industry-wide progress has certainly been made. We’ve discussed this approach with other companies at ongoing industry forums, shared learnings from other markets where we’ve launched the Nutrition at a Glance program, and are encouraging their use as a standardized labeling method. In fact, General Mills announced that they would adopt the same front-of-pack labeling approach this past July.
We’ve seen that in the U.K., where currently more than 50 companies have adopted the Nutrition at a Glance tool. And top retailer Tesco is now using them on all of its packaging. Hopefully, we’ll see similar levels of adoption in the U.S. We will continue to work with others in the industry to bring forth information to help consumers make better informed choices about what they eat.
Since we are sincerely trying to help educate them rather than tell them what to do, we expect that consumers will take this effort seriously.
The Nutrition at a Glance program is a step in the right direction to giving consumers key information about their diets. What are Kellogg’s long term goals in terms of nutrition?
The Kellogg Company was founded more than 100 years ago with a foundation in health and nutrition. In fact, our founder, W.K. Kellogg said “We are a company of dedicated people making quality products for a healthier world.”
To that end, in June 2007, we announced that Kellogg is changing the products we market to children under 12 and how we market those products. We established an internal Global Nutrient Criteria standard (Nutrient Criteria) based on a broad review of scientific reports. Kellogg will apply the Nutrient Criteria to all products marketed to children around the world. Those products that don’t meet the criteria will either be reformulated to meet the Nutrient Criteria or they will not be marketed to children under 12 by the end of 2008. (Kellogg currently does not advertise to children under 6.)
The Kellogg Global Nutrient Criteria will also guide targeted future innovation and product development. Over time, the company will work toward providing consumers even more product choices with enhanced nutritional value.
As a company, we believe the notion of balance _ or “calories in, calories out” _ must remain the central tenet of any long-term solution to global obesity and weight management. We have a long-standing commitment to helping consumers successfully manage both sides of that equation.
To learn more, visit the Nutrition at a Glance website.
Labels: Food and Nutrition, Health and Wellness, Interviews
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posted by Michael on Monday, December 03, 2007
