Kellogg’s: Special K strengthens health standing in snacking with snack-bar revamp

04 May 2018 --- Kellogg’s Special K bars are packing more of a health punch following a revamp to make the bars bigger, pack wholegrain oats and whole fruit pieces and, to be fortified with vitamins B3, B6 and folic acid. This move comes amid a chain of health orientated, product transformations under the Kellogg’s Better Starts plan. For example, the sugar in Coco Pops will be reduced from 30g to 17g per 100g, Rice Krispies salt levels have been reduced by 10 percent, all children's promotions have been removed from Frosties cereal packaging and all Kellog’s cereals now carry 50 percent of people’s daily vitamin D needs.

“We have been listening to our customers and making lots of changes, especially since last November when our Better Starts plan launched. It is about giving consumers more of what they want and less of what they don’t want. They initially wanted less sugars in cereals so we reduced the sugar in an array of our cereals, but this is our first improvement in the snacking sector,” a Kellogg’s spokesperson, tells NutritionInsight.

NPD in the snacking sector has been driven by claims of healthfulness and this is only set to continue in the US and Europe, Innova Market Insights predicts. They further note how the nutritional content of snack foods is changing in terms of protein content, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Indeed, Kellogg’s echoes this; “People are choosing snacking options that are good for you. There is a huge trend around ‘better for you’ options and this really fits in with that. Special K is a brand about empowerment and wholesome ingredients and we needed the direction to go in this way,” adds the Kellogs spokesperson.

Special K’s current cereal bars will be replaced by four new flavor variants; Juicy Red Berry, Milk Chocolate, Apricot & Sultanas, Dark Chocolate & Cranberries.

Media investment of £10 million.
Kellogg’s will support Special K’s cereal bar range with an investment of £10 million in a media plan which aims to reach over 4.5 million people with its Powering You advertising campaign, through TV, social media and YouTube.

Interestingly, a Kellog’s spokesperson informed NutritionInsight that they will be moving away from the past, iconic image of a woman in a red swimsuit in their marketing campaign. This is because “we are moving away from Special K as a diet food. The diet food image was a brilliant heritage for Special K, but now it is more about being wholesome, and showing consumers that they are eating food that is good for them too.”

“The ten million investment will spur our media, Powering You campaign, which launched in January. We will show inspirational people in our adverts doing amazing things with their bodies. Getting the message across that everything that our food is made of will help power you through the day. Real fruit, vitamins fortification, whole grains. They are all there to power you.”

“Special K is all about championing health, nutrition & better-for-you options. We’ve listened to feedback from our consumers and, instead of tweaking one or two ingredients, we’ve completely transformed the brand’s core snack range,” adds Michelle Hammond, Kellogg’s UKI marketing manager for wholesome snacks.

Wholesome snacking.
This move by Kellogg’s represents support of “no nonsense” clean label snacking, which, according to Innova Market Insights data, has seen a dramatic CAGR growth. For example, in “low sugar” (+48 percent), “sugar-free” (+35 percent) and “no added sugar” (+29 percent).

The Special K bars plan to further enhance their wholesome and clean appeal by featuring, “‘absolutely no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or sweeteners” claims and by each bar being packaged in transparent packaging. 

“The transparent wrapping will display the healthy ingredients right to the consumers. We eat with our eyes, so if you can see there are tasty good looking ingredients, you are more likely to enjoy your food, in my opinion,” a Kellogg’s spokesperson tells NutritionInsight.

Furthermore, “Shoppers are more ingredient savvy than ever so, by simplifying the packaging, perfecting the recipe and supporting the launch with a £10m media investment, we’re certain shoppers will be seeking out the new cereal bars on shelves,” adds Hammond.

Healthier snacking has been a key initiative pushed by the UK Government, read NutritionInsights reporting on this topic here.

By Laxmi Haigh