Following a petition from Kellogg Company, the USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced increases to the fortification levels of Vitamin D allowed within the cereal category and now allows fortification of Vitamin D in grain-based bars.
Kellogg Company is committed to addressing 'hidden hunger,' or micronutrient deficiencies, through inherent sources and fortification as part of its Better Days Promise environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy.
Seeing an opportunity to help improve public health through food, Kellogg petitioned the FDA to review fortification regulations for cereals and grain-based bars with Vitamin D, a nutrient of concern among Americans.
More than 90 percent of Americans do not consume enough Vitamin D1. Recommendation intakes are difficult to achieve through natural food sources like fatty fish, egg yolks and certain mushrooms. About six in 10 consumers (59 percent) want to add more Vitamin D to their diet.
"Kellogg fortified cereals and milk have long been a delicious and affordable way to get Vitamin D," said Nigel Hughes, Kellogg Company's SVP for global research and development and innovation.
"Now, everyday foods, like cereal and grain-based bars, can go even further toward helping people access and consume Vitamin D, creating better days for 3 billion people by the end of 2030."
In addition to fortifying foods with Vitamin D, Kellogg is also innovating new foods leveraging inherent sources of nutrients. Pure Organic Crackers made with Cheese and Veggies will be the first better-for-you cracker to have a good source (10 percent Daily Value) of Vitamin D from mushroom powder. The crackers will appear on supermarket shelves in January.
Kellogg will continue to utilise ingredients and fortification to provide delicious, affordable and accessible options to help consumers increase Vitamin D in their diet.
To help consumers quickly identify these foods, many of Kellogg's new foods will include the percent Daily Value on Facts Up Front packaging callouts. All Kellogg foods list the Vitamin D content on the Nutrition Facts Panel.
