Ethics Newsline®

BATTLE CREEK, Mich.
Kellogg Co., the world’s biggest cereal maker, says it will make some of its food healthier or, if the company’s test kitchens can’t reproduce the taste, keep the formulas intact and stop marketing to children under 12.

The Dow Jones News Service notes that the move could be risky. While Kellogg faces pressure from child health advocates who point to skyrocketing rates of childhood obesity, the firm also is wary of the fact that tinkering with successful formulas can alienate the existing customer base.

The Reuters news agency notes that last year Kellogg was threatened with a suit related to its advertising by two advocacy groups, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

In addition to product changes, Kellogg’s also plans to include nutrition information and health tips on its websites, according to a report from the BBC.

Television station WWMT, located in Kellogg’s hometown of Battle Creek, Michigan, reports that the firm will make the changes by the end of 2008. At present, about half of Kellogg products marketed to children under 12 would not meet the proposed guidelines.