Why Sugar Puffs are vanishing
The breakfast cereal has dropped Sugar for the Honey Monster - but just how much sugar is actually being cut?
Sugar Puffs are disappearing from supermarket shelves and being replaced by a new version… Honey Monster Puffs. The new ‘reformulated’ breakfast cereal has less sugar and 20% more honey. The cereal pack will also feature traffic-light nutritional information on the front as manufacturers Halo announces it's taking a “responsible and transparent” approach to nutrition.
Honey Monster Puffs now contain 8.6g of sugar in a 30g portion – a 7.5% reduction from 9.3g in the previous recipe. This will be less than Krave (9g), Coco Pops (11g) and Frosties (11g) when the new recipe is rolled out later this month, according to trade magazine The Grocer.
However, under the food traffic light system, this would still give Honey Monster Puffs a red light for sugar. Red lights are given to any product that has more than 12.5g of added sugar in 100g. This is the equivalent of 3.75g in a 30g serving - Honey Monster Puffs have 8.6g of sugar in a 30g portion.
So what does the red traffic light really mean? The Food Standards Agency advises that it's fine to have the food occasionally, or as a treat, but we should keep an eye on how often we choose these foods, or try eating them in smaller amounts.
Sales of Sugar Puffs dropped 16.6% in the last year, so it's hoped the new name and recipe will help drive up sales.
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"We feel the product relaunch, coupled with our move to bring the product name in line with the Honey Monster character, can help grow our share of the cereals category," said marketing manager Andy Valentine.
Will the rebrand make you more likely to choose Honey Monster Puffs for your children? Is the cut in sugar enough? Let us know in the comments below.
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