New uniform labeling will help consumers make wise choices
Reflecting its support of a national initiative designed to promote
public health, General Mills soon will feature a new nutrition labeling
system on its packaging.
Smart Choices, launching today, is the first-ever uniform
front-of-package nutrition labeling program. Approximately 500 products
from eight companies (General Mills, ConAgra Foods, PepsiCo, Kraft
Foods, Sun-Maid, Unilever – U.S., Tyson and Kellogg Company – U.S.) have
qualified for the Smart Choices’ green check mark in the program’s 19
categories. The number of products is expected to more than double by
next spring.
Dozens of General Mills products will carry the green check mark,
including Yoplait Light yogurts, Green Giant frozen vegetables, most
Progresso lower-sodium soups and virtually all Big G cereals, including
all kid cereals. The company plans to phase in the use of Smart Choices
to coincide with other packaging changes.
General Mills supports the Smart Choices program because it is a single,
credible system that will help eliminate consumer confusion, predicts
Susan Crockett, RD, Vice President of the General Mills Bell Institute
of Health and Nutrition. A member of the Smart Choices group that
developed the new labeling, Crockett adds, “We believe this will help
make it easier for consumers to compare calories and make healthy food
choices through front-of-packaging information.”
Smart Choices’ green check mark reflects standards on nutrients to limit
(such as fats, cholesterol, sugar and sodium) and – for most categories
-- nutrients to encourage. It also focuses on food groups to encourage,
such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free
dairy products.
The standards were derived from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,
reports from the Institute of Medicine and other sources of
authoritative nutrition guidance.
“The coalition worked very hard to develop nutrition criteria that met
the highest standards, and a symbol that consumers would appreciate and
recognize when making choices at the point of purchase,” says Eileen T.
Kennedy, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Public
Policy at Tufts University. The Smart Choices Program “can help today’s
busy shoppers make smarter choices for their families in store and at
home.”
A coalition of scientists, nutritionists, consumer groups and food
industry leaders spent the past two years working on the program. The
American Society for Nutrition and NSF International, a not-for-profit
public health organization, jointly administer the program.
More information can be found at www.SmartChoicesProgram.com.
About General Mills
One of the world's leading food companies, General Mills operates in
more than 100 countries and markets more than 100 consumer brands,
including Cheerios, Häagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker,
Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Progresso, Cascadian Farm, Muir
Glen, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A., General
Mills had fiscal 2009 global net sales of US$15.9 billion, including the
company’s $1.2 billion proportionate share of joint venture net sales.
Visit www.generalmills.com.
General Mills
Heidi Geller, 763-764-5836
