Kellogg’s Cornflakes spin out of control

Yesterday I wrote about Kellogg’s on my personal blog and how their current marketing is supported by ‘science bits’ that are not as great as they seem. I majored on the Special K Body Fat Challenge, the small print to which reveals a 75 per cent failure rate. I also questioned whether the leading claim for cornflakes – that they are better for kids than skipping breakfast – was all that exciting.

On cornflakes I’m not alone. Today it’s revealed that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is to investigate the claim cornflakes improve kids concentration. It’s alleged Kellogg’s don’t make it clear cornflakes are compared with skipping breakfast and that there is not enough evidence to support the claim that kids who breakfast on cornflakes are nine per cent more alert than those who eat nothing.

Regardless of the outcome of the ASA investigation, Kellogg’s is guilty of spinning the flimsiest of evidence to support its case. It’s true that you may be one of the one in four people who loses a small amount of weight on the Body Fat Challenge, but with the failure rate buried in a small printed disclaimer beneath a prominent Loughborough University logo, you’d be forgiven for thinking you had a more realistic chance of shedding a few pounds.

In the medium to long term, the Body Fat Challenge can only harm Kellogg’s reputation. On their own evidence, three quarters of customers who trust Kellogg’s to help them lose weight will be disappointed. And the critic’s voices will only get louder… all at a time when the food industry is under ever greater scrutiny and the threat of government regulation – the punishment meted out to irresponsible businesses – is real.
Contact Stephen Newton

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