General Mills is launching seven updated cereal recipes as part of its commitment to eliminate artificial flavours and colours in all of its cereals by the end of 2017.
The first round of the new cereal recipes include Trix, Reese's Puffs, Cocoa Puffs, Golden Grahams, Chocolate Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios and Fruity Cheerios. These seven varieties feature no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial flavours, and colours from artificial sources on the label of each box, the company claims.
The cereals now include fruit and vegetable juices, spice extracts such as turmeric and annatto to obtain a mix of colours such as red, yellow, orange and purple in the company's Trix and Fruity Cheerios. A natural vanilla flavor will be introduced in Reese' Puffs and Golden Grahams.
The move by General Mills comes days after the release of the US 2015 Dietary Guidelines that outlines the need for US consumers to add more whole grains in their diet along with vegetables. General Mills Big G cereals has been working on this area since 2005, the company says. The work has resulted in the introduction of whole grains as the primary component in all of its cereals.
General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition senior nutrition scientist Lesley Shiery, RD, said: "We are thrilled to see the 2015 Dietary Guidelines continue to recommend making half of your grains whole and recognizing 16 grams of whole grain as a serving, which wasn't in the previous Guidelines. All of our Big G cereals contain at least 10 grams of whole grain per serving and many also deliver underconsumed nutrients for specific populations like vitamins A, C, D, calcium and iron."
With the launch of the new recipes, the company claims that its goal of achieving artificial-free flavoured and coloured products is 75% complete.
The eighth edition of Dietary Guidelines intends to help people minimise the risk of obesity and prevent chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. The guidelines promote intake of vegetables, fruits, grains, low-fat and fat-free dairy, lean meats and other protein foods and oils, while urging to limit the consumption of saturated fats, trans fats, added sugars and sodium.
The recommendations urge American public to consume less than 10% of calories per day from added sugars. It suggests less than 10% of calories intake per day from saturated fats. People are advised to check the Nutrition Facts label to check for saturated fats levels. Foods that contain high levels of saturated fat include butter, whole milk, meats which are not labeled as lean and tropical oils such as coconut and palm oil.
Image: General Mills claims 75% of its cereals now free of artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources. Photo: Courtesy of General Mills/PRNewswire.
