Milling & Baking News - June 8, 2004 - 12

H E A L T H

A N D

W E L L N E S S

Kraft pursuing labeling changes
rather than rigid portion control
Continued from Page 1
choices" about eating.
Kraft said that consumer research and
other stakeholder input has prompted
the company to shift to a new, two-fold
approach to smaller packages. The company is offering a broad range of portionsize choices to "meet consumers' varied
needs." The company cited as an example
its new Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs, small
single-serve packages of Oreo Thin
Crisps, Chips Ahoy! Thin Crisps, Kraft
Cheese Nips Thin Crisps and Wheat
Thins Minis. Each pack contains 100
calories, two to three grams of fat and
zero grams of trans fat.
In addition to offering various
package configurations, Kraft said it
would adopt a new approach to nutrition labeling on snacks and beverages that contain up to four servings.
"Specifically, in the U.S., Kraft plans
to provide labels that communicate
the nutrition content of an entire package, so consumers don't have to 'do
the math' themselves (as with some
current labels)," Kraft said. "This approach supports the Food and Drug
Administration's recent call for food
companies to enhance labeling on packages in a way that helps consumers
make informed choices."
The focus on labeling marks a significant departure from the company's
announcement last July when it explicitly committed to cap the portion size
of single-serve packages. The company
said at the time that it would form an
expert advisory council last year that
would, among other steps, determine
the levels at which the portion size of its
single-serve packages would be capped.
Kraft had targeted the end of 2003 for
the development of the standards with
implementation to begin this year.
Elaborating on the changed approach, a Kraft spokesperson said last
week the company's thinking evolved
after feedback from consumers and the

advisory council. "One of the things
we heard was the need to be more
responsive to people's needs than just
offering single-serve packages," said
Kris W. Charles, director of corporate
affairs for Kraft. "Different people have
different body sizes and activity levels,
so it makes more sense to provide more
portion choices."
Asked in what way business considerations factored into the decision and
whether the company was trying to

avoid shifting to lower-priced packages,
Ms. Charles said, "Consumers have to be
at the center of everything we do. When
we put in front of them the proposal to
cap portion sizes they said the change
would not meet their needs. If we make
a change that does not meet consumers'
needs, that's not in our best business interests. The price aspect didn't enter into
the decision."
Kraft further emphasized that it remained committed to the implementation
of a "wide-ranging program to improve
the nutrition profile of its portfolio, adjust
its marketing practices and policies, provide consumers with more information to
help them make informed food and activity choices and advocate for constructive
public policy changes."
Roger K. Deromedi, Kraft's chief

Study shows women may consume
more snacks after periods of stress
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - New research
suggests that for women, stress and extra
snacking may go hand-in-hand.
Results of laboratory experiments published in the latest issue of the Journal of
Applied Social Psychology show that women
- but not men - exposed to frustrating
noise stress in a problem-solving environ12 / Milling & Baking News, June 8, 2004

ment consumed more cheese, chocolate,
potato chips and popcorn after the stressful
session ended.
Dr. Laura C. Klein, assistant professor of
biobehavioral health at Penn State University, said previous research shows that both
men and women eat more during stressful
periods. But the latest study now shows

executive officer, emphasized the
company's commitment to do its part
to improve health and wellness and
fight obesity. A "comprehensive approach" will be needed if progress is to
be made in this effort, he said. "We're
ready, as are many other food companies, to collaborate and cooperate with
governments, policy experts, industries
and communities around the world,"
he added.
In addition to portion size, Kraft reviewed steps it has taken to eliminate
product nutrition. While formulation
changes to date were characterized by
the company as "only a beginning,"
Kraft estimated that on an annualized
basis the reductions already implemented would eliminate a total of
more than 30 billion calories from 200
reformulated products. The company
said these products account for 5% of
the company's annual volume.
Again, grain-based foods were cited
by Kraft as examples of its product
changes. "As part of its program to
reduce or eliminate trans fat, Kraft has
reformulated a number of products
to meet the F.D.A. per-serving standard for zero grams trans fat, among
them Triscuit crackers and Reduced
Fat Oreo," Kraft said. The company
expects to roll out additional products
under this program throughout the remainder of 2004 and into 2005.
Among other initiatives announced
by Kraft last July, were steps relating to
promotion in schools and guidelines for
vending machines. Kraft said last week
it has developed "locally appropriate"
guidelines for vending distributors for
Kraft products sold in school vending
machines. In the U.S. the guidelines are:
* 35% or less of total calories from
fat.
* 10% or less of total calories from a
combination of saturated fat and trans
fat.
* 35% or less of total calories from
sugars.
Kraft said it has completely eliminated the practice of advertising and
promotion in U.S. schools. MBN

that some individuals, mostly women, continue eating more once the period of stress
stops.
"In daily life, people often rise to the occasion to deal with stress," Dr. Klein said.
"The real window of vulnerability may be
after the stress is over. For example, women
exposed to a week of frustrating job stress
could be especially vulnerable to overeating
on the weekends."
The study, led by Dr. Klein and three other scientists, divided 29 men and 34 women
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Milling & Baking News - June 8, 2004

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