UK retailer Waitrose has decreased sugar levels by 15% or more in more than half of its own brand breakfast cereals, the retailer announced Wednesday.
The newly-reformulated cereals will be available on shelves from today onwards.
Morning favourites such as bran, rice pops, and multigrain hoops will see average sugar content fall 15-30% as part of the company's attempt to reduce sugar levels. This move means that 90 tonnes or 22.5 million teaspoons of sugar a year will be taken from Waitrose’s own label cereals, the company said.
Emma Williams, senior nutritionist at Waitrose, added: "As cereal makes up 60% of breakfasts this is a great way to help customers reduce the amount of sugar in their diet. Our customers want a healthy start to the day and reducing sugar is one way for us to help them achieve this."
Waitrose had previously slashed sugar in especially sweet cereals such as choco pops and honey nut cornflakes, and plans to decrease sugar levels in the rest of its own brand cereals by next year. Cordials, yoghurts, soups, and chilled juices were also previously targeted.
Public Health England has dictated that all breakfast cereals must contain 5% less sugar by September 2017, part of a growing movement to decrease individuals' sugar intake and encourage healthier eating.
Waitrose isn't the first retailer to make such a move; Dutch company Albert-Heijn reduced sugar by 40% in 100 of their products in August and Tesco pledged to reduce sugar levels by 5% in their own brand soft drinks last May.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Karen Henderson. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
