Kellogg's this week insisted it had been harshly dealt with by a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, despite having its complaint rejected by broadcast watchdog Ofcom.
Kellogg's made the complaint after the What's in Your Breakfast? programme was shown last October. It claimed at the time it had been treated unfairly and had not been given the right to respond to allegations. It was particularly upset over allegations that it deliberately targeted its marketing at kids and that it was "shovelling sugar into children".
But this week Ofcom rejected Kellogg's complaint along with those of Nestlé-owned Cereal Partners, claiming there was no requirement on the programme-makers to give the right to respond as "no significant allegations of wrongdoing" were made.
The programme claimed a family's three children would reduce their annual sugar consumption by 14kg if they stopped eating their chosen cereals. Brands mentioned in the programme included Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and Nestlé Shreddies.
"We clearly do not agree with the ruling," said Kellogg's corporate affairs director Chris Wermann. "We are constantly reminded that we're held to high standards and we feel the same should go for programmes such as Dispatches. It didn't give us any airtime and used the usual biased detractors of the food industry rather than truly qualified and independent scientists."
Kellogg's made the complaint after the What's in Your Breakfast? programme was shown last October. It claimed at the time it had been treated unfairly and had not been given the right to respond to allegations. It was particularly upset over allegations that it deliberately targeted its marketing at kids and that it was "shovelling sugar into children".
But this week Ofcom rejected Kellogg's complaint along with those of Nestlé-owned Cereal Partners, claiming there was no requirement on the programme-makers to give the right to respond as "no significant allegations of wrongdoing" were made.
The programme claimed a family's three children would reduce their annual sugar consumption by 14kg if they stopped eating their chosen cereals. Brands mentioned in the programme included Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and Nestlé Shreddies.
"We clearly do not agree with the ruling," said Kellogg's corporate affairs director Chris Wermann. "We are constantly reminded that we're held to high standards and we feel the same should go for programmes such as Dispatches. It didn't give us any airtime and used the usual biased detractors of the food industry rather than truly qualified and independent scientists."
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