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Kellogg’s and Woolies launch ‘Breakfast Crusade’, free cereal given away to schools

Melinda Gainsford-Taylor

Kellogg’s has teamed up with Woolworths to launch a program to encourage more kids to eat breakfast cereal before they go to school.

Former Olympian Melinda Gainsford-Taylor has been hired to front the ‘Breakfast Crusade’ and will visit schools to push the importance of eating the first meal of the day.

The campaign, which will run from 22 August to 19 September, also involves a promotion in Woolworths stores, with deals on Kellogg’s cereal, milk and juice.

A press release from Kellogg’s pointed out that nearly half a million Australian children skip breakfast and perform worse in basic numeracy and literacy tests as a result.

Kellogg’s, which regularly gets hit by claims that it markets unhealthy products to kids, has also press released a program to give away free cereal in schools for the first time.

Its Breakfast Buddies program, which has been running from 2007, sees Kellogg’s brands Corn Flakes, Rice Bubbles and Sultana Bran given away to schools, sports clubs, community groups and childcare facilities.

A Kellogg’s spokesman said that the company’s high-sugar ‘treat’ brands, such as Froot Loops and Nutri-Grain, were not part of the program. He added that no Kellogg’s branding was involved in the exercise.

The program is to launch two months after Kellogg’s announced that it has reduced the salt content of Rice Bubbles and Corn Flakes by 20%.

Kellogg’s was named Australia’s worst junk food advertiser by activist group Parent’s Jury in November last year.

Parent Jury campaigns manager Corrina Langelaan said: “It’s important that children have access to breakfast and heartbreaking that this is not always the case. It’s great when corporations give back to the community, as long as the strings attached don’t involve the promotion of unhealthy foods to children. All kids deserve to have a healthy breakfast.”

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