Special K recipe overhauled for the first time in 50 years

Kellogg has embarked on a high profile reformulation to boost the nutritional status of its Special K cereal in Australia to suit changing consumer tastes.

In the first major reformulation of the popular breakfast cereal since its launch half a century ago, Kellogg has boosted its fibre content by adding wholegrain oats to the rice and whole wheat used in the traditional recipe.

The company has also reduced sodium in the cereal by 15 per cent to 144mg per serve (6 per cent of the recommended daily intake). The protein levels of 7.9g per serve will stay the same, as will the sugar levels of 5.8g per serve (less than one and a half teaspoons).

Special K senior brand manager, Kate Harris said the brand was on a journey with Aussie women to help them eat well.

“In order to evolve with them, we as a brand need to evolve what we offer them. That's why we've improved our recipe, making it more nutritious, but still with the same great taste,” she said.

According to Kellogg, the new recipe represents a step change for the brand within Australia. The company also said this was the first time in the brand's local history that a recipe adjustment of this nature had been implemented.

“The iconic breakfast brand is taking a new, healthier direction in 2014, with this recipe makeover being the first significant step,” Kellogg said.

“This is the first time the brand's history that the recipe has undergone such a big change whilst still keeping to the same delicious taste.”

At the product's launch, accredited practising dietitian, Nicole Senior, described the move  to change a recipe that had been so popular for so long as bold. “It's like changing your great grandma's Christmas cake recipe,” she said.

The company has also tweaked the packaging of the cereal to include a gold flash across the top of the box spruiking the new nutritional attributes. A marketing campaign will also promote the changes.

The new recipe will be used across all varieties of the Special K range including all snacks that feature the Special K flake. The reformulated product will roll out out to stores throughout February.