Kellogg is scrapping controversial immune-system claims from its Cocoa Krispies and Rice Krispies cereal boxes even as some critics are turning their attention to another food giant, Nestle, which is making similar claims on some cartons of its kid-targeted Juicy Juice.
The move by Kellogg comes just two days after a USA TODAY story revealed that a growing number of critics -- including San Francisco's city attorney -- were seriously questioning the wording bannered across the cereal boxes that read: "Now helps support your child's IMMUNITY (sic)."
The cereals contain added amounts of antioxidant vitamins A, B, C and E.
With the swine flu virus of paramount concern to parents and children, there is increased sensitivity to any marketing claims that even touch on the topic. At the same time, the nation's foodmakers are being increasingly held accountable by federal regulators for claims.
"While science shows that these antioxidants help support the immune system, given the public attention on H1N1, the company decided to make this change," says Kellogg spokeswoman Susanne Norwitz. "It was purely coincidental that this package made it to shelves at a similar time as H1N1, and given the questions raised, we decided this was the best course of action."
The immunity claims will continue to be on boxes "for the next few months as packaging flows through the shelves," she says.
Juicy Juice is the latest target of critics including Marion Nestle, nutrition professor from New York University, who complained this summer to the Food and Drug Administration about Kellogg's immune-system claims.
In late March, Nestle rolled out two new lines of Juicy Juice, one claiming to aid brain development in kids and the other claiming, in a large red banner on the front of the carton: "Helps support IMMUNITY."
Among the nutrients added to the juice line to support the immune system are zinc, vitamin C and prebiotic fiber. The company adds DHA to the other Juicy Juice line to promote brain development.
Nestle USA spokeswoman Pamela Krebs says the new lines are the result of customer requests for more nutrients. They aren't meant to replace nutritious foods such as apples, she says, "but sometimes it's easier to get a kid to drink juice than to eat a whole apple."
The immunity claim by Nestle for its juice line is "totally egregious," says Nestle (no relation to the company), who also has complained about it to the FDA. As for the brain-development claim, she scoffs, adding DHA "does not a brilliant child make."
The watchdogs are on alert. "What this represents is a disturbing trend in the food industry," says Dennis Herrera, the San Francisco city attorney who complained to Kellogg and the FDA about the immunity claims. Whether the claims are "on Kellogg cereals or Juicy Juice cartons," he says, "they need to produce the facts to back up those claims."
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