Email to Food giant - Nestle cereals

Cereal giant Nestle introduced a "Nutrition expert" on the side of all cereal boxes in 2007. The following is an email directed to that expert.

Dear Dr Chapman,

 I was glad to see Nestle decided to provide a qualified nutritionist to respond to questions about their cereals. I noticed on the pack of
Shreddies there is a statement apparently quoting you on why whole grains are good for us. I do agree that whole grains in their natural state can be a rich source of nutrients beneficial for our health. I find it hard to believe that whole grains that have been through extensive processing in order to form them into Shreddies have even a fraction of that goodness left in them.

Extruding whole grains to form them into such shapes places the grains under huge temperatures and pressure that denatures the
proteins and destroys the vitamins and antioxidants that you have advocated are in Shreddies. Some studies on extruded grains, both
puffed wheat and cornflakes found that the nutritional value of these damaged grains lacked the nutrients necessary to keep the mice/rats studied alive for even as long as 2 weeks.

Whole grains are also high in phytic acid, as I am sure you know, which serves to block mineral absorption in the small intestine. So
despite your attempt to identify GDA levels in Shreddies it is highly unlikely that even those small levels of fortified vitamins and minerals are available for absorption.

We must also take into account the quality of the grains before they have been through the extrusion process. What quality of soil were
they grown in? Are they subject to fertilisers, organophosphates and pesticides? If so they most certainly are getting through into the
breakfast bowls of those who eat the cereal you are advocating! The effects of such chemicals in parts per million, or even parts per trillion have been shown in several studies to be detrimental to our health.

I find it concerning that the statement you have put your name to as a nutritionist is considerably misleading to the public. You have
made positive comments about wholegrains but implied that the cereal in the Nestle box is equal to natural, untouched whole grains. Which by the way should at least be soaked or sprouted to break down the natural phytates and increase the available nutrients for absorption.

As a fellow nutritionist I would have expected you to be keen to inform the public of how to best improve their health. Do you
seriously believe that Shreddies will promote good health? I understand you may feel that professionally you need to tow the
company line and stand up for Nestle and their brand and reputation  to the public. But what do you really believe? Are you being true to your role as a nutritionist?

My comments are not intended to offend but to genuinely present my views and to seek a open and honest response from you.

I look forward to your response. Thank you for your valuable time.

 regards

Ben Pratt
 

This is Clare Chapman of Nestle cereals response: Dated 08/06/2007

Hi Ben,

Many thanks for your email.

All the epidemiological studies conducted to date that support the beneficial effect of wholegrain have been conducted on free living individuals consuming whole grain foods that have undergone some processing.

We do fortify all of our cereals apart from the Shredded Wheat family with vitamins and minerals. Breakfast cereal is an important contributor to vitamin and mineral intakes. Higher intakes of iron, B vitamins and vitamins D were observed in high cereal consumers between the ages of 4 ? 18 years in a recent analysis of the UK national Diet and Nutrition Survey. The higher cereal consumers also had a better folate, B12 and riboflavin status.

We are funding research that looks at the effects of processing on the grain and the initial results suggest that the benefit remains the same even after processing.

A good reference book for your information is ?Wholegrain Foods in Health and Disease? edited by L Marquart, J L Slavin and R G Fulcher.

All our grain goes through rigorous quality control to ensure we use the best quality grains to make our cereals.

I very much appreciate the time that you have taken to contact us and I hope this information has gone some way to reassure you of the importance that Cereal Partners UK places on overall food quality.

Kind Regards,

Clare

Summary: The studies that showed cereal eaters had higher nutrient levels only compared to non-cereal eaters. This has not compared cereals to a more natural breakfast. I doubt the results would be so positive when compared to a high quality, organic, unprocessed, non cereal breakfast. Research funded by Nestle is unlikely to be impartial, Why would they invest in research that would generate evidence against the sales of their products. Interestingly Clare barely dealt with any of the concerns regarding the extrusion process or phytic acid. Nestle removed nutrition experts from all boxes 2 months after this correspondence.