Kellogg launches cereal and exercise health initiative

By Lorraine Heller

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Nutrition Health

Leading cereal maker Kellogg is to introduce a programme in the US
designed to help families get fit and keep healthy. The programme
involves a daily bowl of cereal combined with a daily walk.

The Get in Step initiative, which is using the company's mascot Tony the Tiger as a means to target children, also aims to help Americans control their weight.

"Kellogg wants to show kids and adults that living a healthy lifestyle does not have to be hard work. The Get in Step programme highlights the simple things that we can do everyday that can help improve our health and fitness,"​ said Christine Lowry, the company's vice president in nutrition.

The company said that its new programme was tested by the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, where researches found that participants in the programme increased their activity level and reduced their body fat. Adult participants also showed reduced weight gain.

Get in Step encourages consumers to walk an extra 2,000 steps a day as well as to consume a bowl of any of the company's 50 assortments of cereal products, nearly all of which claim to contain wholegrain and fibre.

A special website set up to promote the new initiative also provides general nutritional advice as well as information on the benefits of exercise.

Kellogg's new move is in line with what appears to be a recent drive by the company to position itself in the growing health and wellness sector.

Last month the company changed the packaging of its Frosted Mini-Wheats, Raisin Bran and All-Bran cereal products in order to promote their fibre content.

The 'Fiber Challenge' initiative aimed to raise awareness of the importance of dietary fibre in order to encourage Americans to increase their fibre consumption. It asked consumers to eat a bowl a day of either of these cereals, claiming that participants "should feel a difference."

Tackling the growing global obesity crisis has become a major concern for food manufacturers in recent years.

Children's obesity in particular has gained significant attention in the health care and child welfare arenas over the past five years. In 2002, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) cited that 16 percent of children aged 6-11 were overweight, with the same percentage holding true for 12-19 year olds - a 45 percent increase over figures obtained a decade ago.

Related topics Ingredients Kellogg Health

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