Peanutjake > wrote on Wed, 11 Aug 2004 13:10:55
-0400:
> Danish health authorities ban some Kellogg products, saying they could
> harm children

> CHRISTIAN WIENBERG

> Associated Press

> COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Danish health officials said Wednesday they have
> banned several vitamin-enriched products of U.S. breakfast cereal maker
> Kellogg, saying they could be harmful if eaten regularly.

> The 18 products, which include enriched versions of popular brands already on
> the Danish market like Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and Special K, were to be
> launched in Denmark soon. "We've turned down applications for a number of
> enriched products which will have toxic effects in the doses Kellogg uses,"
> said Paolo Drotsby of the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. Drotsby
> said that if eaten regularly, the products could damage children's livers and
> kidneys, as well as the fetuses of pregnant women.

But, presumably, other foetuses will be OK. Provided, of course, they
don't eat too much Special K. Which reminds me - some while ago, I
remember Special K being reclassified by the BDA from "sort of OK in
moderation" to "only touch with a barge pole" after its recipe was
changed to use vastly more sugar than previously.

> Kellogg said it was puzzled by the rejection, as many of the products are
> being sold already in several other European countries.

> "We're extremely concerned and mystified, as we never have had such
> problems with health authorities before in Kellogg's history," said
> John Buckles, managing director for Kellogg in the Nordic region. The
> 18 products include 12 types of cereal brands and six types of snack or
> breakfast bars. Buckles said the European enrichment recipes were
> slightly different from the ones used in the United States, although
> Kellogg's products are fortified there as well and have been since the
> 1930s. "Our next step is to work with Danish authorities and see if we
> can come up with a solution. The important thing here is for us to work
> in concert," Buckles said.

> Chris Wermann, a spokesman for Kellogg Europe, added: "We will have further
> discussions with Danish authorities about the importance of vitamins in
> cereals."

Talk about patronising *******s! Perhaps Mr. Wermann would do better to
learn from the Danes about the importance of properly balanced diets, and
to modify his company's recipes to conform.

> Meanwhile, Drotsby said Kellogg could apply again if the company
> removes or reduces the doses of the vitamins and minerals in question.

> The rejection was delivered to Kellogg last month after a government
> laboratory conducted a scientific examination of the ingredient lists
> provided by the company, Drotsby said. Kellogg Co., based in Battle
> Creek, Mich., operates in 160 countries. Its shares rose a penny to
> $41.11 in early afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

--
Alan Mackenzie (Munich, Germany)
Email: ; to decode, wherever there is a repeated letter
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