Freedom Cereals signs up to the government’s Salt Reduction Pledge

The manufacturer of Keep Me GoingTM – the brand-new, healthy breakfast cereal – is one of just 80 companies to have signed up to the Department of Health’s Salt Reduction Pledge to date.

Freedom Cereals recently committed to the pledge, through which the government aims to reduce the average amount of salt eaten in Britain in order to lower people’s risk of high blood pressure and their chances of having a heart attack or stroke. Explains Richard Paterson, Managing Director, “Keep Me GoingTM contains the original SOLO® sea salt, which has 60% less sodium than regular salt. As well as less salt, Keep Me GoingTM has less sugar, less fat and a low GI, so it’s a really healthy way to start the day.”

In 2003, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) recommended that salt intake in the UK should be reduced to an average of 6g per day for adults. In response, the government has developed targets for salt reduction for 80 specific food groups that contribute most to salt intake. Explains Richard Paterson, “Although the human body requires only 3-5g of salt per day, people in the developed world are typically consuming 10-12g a day. Reducing salt intake lowers blood pressure in just four weeks and it is estimated that lowering our average salt intake by 1g will save 4,147 preventable deaths and £288 million for the NHS each year.”

Less sugar too
As well as less salt, Keep Me GoingTM contains significantly less sugar than many rival cereals. Under the new traffic light labelling system introduced last month, however, this is not that easy for consumers to spot. Says Richard Paterson, “Previously, foods needed to have a sugar content of over 15% to warrant a red rating in the front-of-pack labelling but in the new system, only foods with over 22.5% sugar will get a red flag. This is going to be very confusing for consumers, with several leading breakfast cereals that market themselves as having a healthy profile but which would have been red-carded under the old system now achieving an amber by the skin of their teeth. With the amber category being so broad – from just 5% to 22.5% sugar content – Keep Me GoingTM, with only 8.9% sugar, is in the same band as much more sugary rivals.”

Low GI for energy boost
High in fibre, the Keep Me GoingTM wheat-free recipe has a low GI (Glycaemic Index) that can help reduce tiredness, release energy and maintain a healthy immune system. Including low GI foods in your diet can help you feel fuller for longer and reduce the need to snack between meals, which in turn will help with weight control. Choosing slowly absorbed carbohydrates can also help people with diabetes, who need to control their blood glucose (sugar) levels. In addition to being naturally low in fat, the whole-grain barley and oats in Keep Me GoingTM are also an excellent source of beta glucans, which can help to lower cholesterol levels.

Kids’ trading cards in every pack
Every pack of Keep Me GoingTM breakfast cereal contains three country trading cards that feature a national flag on one side and interesting facts on the reverse. With over 190 in the series, these highly collectible ‘Keep Me Going Around The World’ cards are educational and great fun for a fact-trumping game.

Available nationwide
Pending listings with the major supermarkets, Keep Me GoingTM is being stocked by The Health Store, the UK’s largest independent health-food wholesaler, and is now available at health-food retailers throughout the UK and Ireland.

For more information, please contact:
Mr Richard Paterson, Joint MD
Freedom Cereals Ltd
E-mail: Richard@KeepMeGoing.net
Tel: 0207 491 9171

Freedom Cereals Ltd
Freedom Cereals Ltd recently launched Keep Me GoingTM, a new and healthy whole-grain breakfast cereal with reduced sugar, low salt, low fat, high fibre and low GI (Glycaemic Index). Co-founder, Richard Paterson, is available for media interviews.
www.keepmegoing.net