Nutritional Information

All ACFM manufacturers are committed to encouraging consumers to improve their health through a balanced diet and active lifestyle. ACFM members continually work hard to respond to changing consumer needs providing a broad choice of products that are acceptable to consumer tastes. ACFM members work closely with Government bodies and departments such as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Department of Health in the development of our products.

This section of the site provides nutritional details relating to breakfast cereals and demonstrates the important role they play in a healthy, balanced diet.

Topics:

Fibre
Dietary fibre helps maintain a healthy digestive tract and may help protect against cancer of the colon, reduce the risk of becoming overweight and developing type 2 diabetes. Cereal fibre has important water retaining properties that help prevent constipation and keep the large intestines healthy. It also helps to promote the feeling of fullness after a meal and may therefore help reduce cravings for snack foods and aid weight control. The fibre from cereals containing oats also helps lower blood cholesterol levels. Breakfast cereals play an important role in providing dietary fibre and the richest sources are bran, wholegrain and oat-based cereals.

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Essential Vitamins & Minerals
Unlike most other foods eaten at breakfast, the majority of breakfast cereals are fortified with a range of vitamins and essential minerals. One bowl of cereal provides at least 25% of daily requirements for many essential vitamins and 17% for iron.

In summary breakfast cereals contribute the following essential vitamins and minerals to our daily diets:

• Eating breakfast cereals with milk is one of the easiest ways to increase calcium in the diet¹
  
• Fortified breakfast cereals are an excellent source of folic acid, on average contributing 15% of the daily intake¹
  
• Fortified breakfast cereals are an important source of vitamin B12 for vegans and vegetarians
  
• Fortified breakfast cereals are the main dietary source of thiamin (vitamin B1), providing 14% of overall daily intake²
  
• Fortified breakfast cereals contribute significant amounts of riboflavin and niacin on average providing 15% and 10% of daily intake respectively²
  
• 13% of the average daily intake of vitamin B6 is obtained from fortified breakfast cereals
  
• Fortified breakfast cereals contribute 13% of the average daily vitamin D intake in men and women, 20% of the average daily vitamin D intake in girls and 24% in boys¹
  
• The contribution of breakfast cereals to vitamin D intake is particularly important during the winter months when vitamin D is not obtained from the sun

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Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet because they provide fuel for the body and many foods rich in whole-grain carbohydrates are good sources of essential vitamins and minerals. Eating breakfast cereal, which is low in fat and high in carbohydrate, promotes the feeling of being full for longer so reducing mid-morning cravings for fatty snacks.

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Salt
Salt is an important component of breakfast cereals. It is used to enhance flavour, and improve texture.

Breakfast cereals on average contribute a very small proportion of salt in the diet - on average they contain only 0.33g of sodium per 100g, which equates to less than 5% of the average adult daily intake.

Cereal manufacturers have been reducing salt in their products for a number of years, prior to the FSA and Department of Health policies on salt reduction, with the latest data revealing a 43% reduction between 1998 and 2007.

ACFM presented the data on its manufacturers' salt reductions to the Food Standards Agency in January 2008, which outlined reductions achieved in breakfast cereals, based on methodology developed by ACFM and endorsed by the FSA. (click here for press release relating to salt reductions in breakfast cereals)

Cereal manufacturers are committed to continue to review salt levels in the breakfast cereals market on an annual basis and to monitor the trend.

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Sugar
Sugar is an important source of carbohydrate, the body’s primary energy source. Sugar occurs naturally in fruit and vegetables but is also added to a range of other foods during the production process, where it helps add flavour, texture, colour and mouth-feel to products.

The sugar content of breakfast cereals varies widely, with some containing none or very little added sugar. On average, breakfast cereals provide only a small proportion (5%) of the average adult daily intake of added sugars in the diet. This compares with 37% from drinks, 32% from sugar, preserves and confectionary and 14% from other cereal products such as bread, biscuits and cakes.

Breakfast cereals also provide a large proportion of carbohydrate from starch, which the FSA recommends should make up about one third of the food we eat; contain a number of essential vitamins and minerals; and are generally low in fat.

Breakfast cereal manufacturers are continually looking at ways to reduce the sugar content of cereals, particularly where higher levels of sugar currently exist, but it is important to do that without compromising on taste. Several brands have introduced low-added sugar ranges alongside standard brands and many of these have been available for a number of years.

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Fat
Some fat is essential in the diet for health, and is particularly important for growing, active children. Fat is a rich source of food energy but it is also needed to provide the body with essential fatty acids and to enable the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins E and A. For adults and children above the age of five years it recommended that fat should generally provide no more than 35% of the daily energy intake³. Diets containing higher proportions of fat are likely to result in the over consumption of food energy, which if not matched by increased energy expenditure results in the deposition of body fat leading to obesity, in the long-term.

Most breakfast cereals are low in fat, on average containing between 2-4% fat⁴. As a rule a cereal breakfast will provide fewer calories than a cooked breakfast and this contributes towards helping maintain a healthy weight.

It is also the type of fat consumed that is of importance. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce the risk of heart disease and the fats found in the vast majority of breakfast cereals are naturally high in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Breakfast cereals containing nuts (e.g. muesli) have a higher fat content but this is mainly provided by the healthier monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The consumption of breakfast cereals with semi-skimmed or skimmed milk is helpful in achieving the goal of a diet low in saturated fatty acid and trans fatty acids⁵.

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Performance
Research has shown that eating breakfast improves performance on memory tests in adults⁶, which may have implications for achievement at work. Improved mood, feelings of calmness and more energy have also been attributed to breakfast consumption⁷.

Evidence also points to the importance of breakfast in enhancing learning ability at school, particularly in the areas of cognition, memory and behaviour. Research has repeatedly identified that children who miss breakfast are compromised with regards to mathematics and reading ability, problem-solving tasks, and poor behaviour⁸.

Many children and adults skip breakfast, or consume a less than adequate one. These people are not only compromising their performance at work or school but also reducing the quality of their diet, primarily because they are more likely to fill-up on calorie dense foods later in the day. They may therefore be missing out on essential nutrients necessary to maintain a healthy, balanced diet, which breakfast cereals can provide.

Nutrients of particular importance to improved performance have been identified as carbohydrates, protein, iron and calcium⁹. Eating breakfast cereals, which are high in carbohydrates and provide a good source of protein, iron and calcium (particularly when consumed with milk), is therefore a great way to provide the body with the nutrients it needs to start the day.

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