20.03.2013

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The challenges of translating

nutrition into real foods

(breakfast cereals)

Nilani Sritharan & John Pitcher Cereal Partners Worldwide

ILSI Australasia, Sydney 2013

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Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW):

We have been gradually reformulating our cereals over the last 5 years

In Australia & NZ, all Nestle and UNCLE TOBYS breakfast cereals are:

• At least a source of fibre

• Made with at least 25% whole grain

• Meet the Food & Health Dialogue’s sodium target for cereals (400mg/100g)

• Meet the Heart Foundation’s Tick nutrient criteria

• Pass Nutrient Profiling under the government’s new Food Standards Code

KEY AREAS

1. The challenges of reformulating to increase or decrease specific nutrients

2. The importance of consumer value

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE TRY TO REFORMULATE CEREALS? Decreasing sodium & sugar Increasing whole grain & fibre

Added sugars: Why Don’t You Just Reduce It?

• Reducing sugar reduction in kilojoules/calories

• Affects taste

• Can affect “bowl life” and product quality

• Can increase product cost if using sugar replacers

• Lower sugar lower Glycemic Index

• Have to reduce it by 25% in one hit to claim “less sugar”

ILSI SEAR Aasia (www.ilsi.org/SEA Region) and GLNC (www.glnc.org.au)Carbohydrate intakes - high, low or irrelevant? Australia - March 2013

20.03.2013

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Sodium is not just about taste but also functionality

• Improves the palatability of some cereals but can be reduced gradually

• May perform a technical role in the product

• Reducing sodium can add significant cost

Whole Grains help reduce the proportion of refined grains but are not a direct substitute

• Can be difficult to source whole grain flours

• More expensive to use

• Reduces shelf life

• Impacts “puff”, crispness and texture

• May reduce fibre or increase fat and energy

• Impact can differ depending on manufacturing process

Fibre: It’s not as simple as removing starch and adding fibre in

There are 4 primary ways to add fibre to breakfast cereals:

1. Altering the grain mix to favour high fibre grains

2. Addition of natural fibre-rich sources

3. Use of novel fibres

4. Selective breeding of grains to favour higher fibre levels e.g. BarleyMAX

Fibre: The Challenges

• Is the fibre retained in the final product?

• Product taste and texture may be affected causing product clumping

Added Inulin

Can you use a higher fibre

grain variety?

GI: there’s no “quick fix”. Finding a solution may not favour nutrient density or be obvious

GI value 55 53 69 69 75

Fibre/100g 1.5g 2.5g 8g 10.9g 13.2g

Sugar/100g 41.3g 14.5g 27g 3g 2g

Protein/100g 4.6g 19.7g 7g 12.4g 9.2g

Whole grain ? ? 53% 97% 100%

IMAGINE THE COMPLEXITIES WHEN WE TRY TO CHANGE SEVERAL THINGS AT ONCE......!

ILSI SEAR Aasia (www.ilsi.org/SEA Region) and GLNC (www.glnc.org.au)Carbohydrate intakes - high, low or irrelevant? Australia - March 2013

20.03.2013

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Trying to deliver fibre AND protein can get very tricky!

We have halved saturated fat and doubled the fibre and

whole grain

Milo cereal reformulation to meet Tick nutrient criteria

Per 100g 2003-7 2008 2010 2011

Energy

Sat Fat

Sugar

Fibre

Sodium

Whole grain

It’s just like baking a cake......

Simply substituting one ingredient for another – or just removing it –

may not deliver the same product or nutrient benefits we expect

DOES THE CONSUMER UNDERSTAND OR VALUE THE BENEFIT?

• Probiotics generally well-accepted in yogurts but not in carboyhdrate formats

• “Prebiotics” sound too much like “probiotics”

• Marine-based fish oils and legume flours (e.g. to lower the GI) are often rejected

Science alone wont drive preference for a new/reformulated product

The challenge for manufacturers: can you make the nutrient/health benefit meaningful for the consumer?

• Are the increased costs outweighed by the consumer value?

- Ingredient costs

- pack changes

- advertising

- compliance testing

• Is product density (and therefore pack size) impacted?

ILSI SEAR Aasia (www.ilsi.org/SEA Region) and GLNC (www.glnc.org.au)Carbohydrate intakes - high, low or irrelevant? Australia - March 2013

20.03.2013

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No matter how good the product is, it does nothing if consumers don't eat it!

KEY POINTS

• Translating the science into real foods is far from straight forward

• Product reformulation can impact cost, quality and may also lead to unintended consequences

• The consumer must value any improvements and enjoy the taste if we are to have any impact

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Any questions?

Special thanks to: • Alison Cassidy (R&D)

• Ellie Rand & Sarah Iacovou (Deakin University)

ILSI SEAR Aasia (www.ilsi.org/SEA Region) and GLNC (www.glnc.org.au)Carbohydrate intakes - high, low or irrelevant? Australia - March 2013