Special K

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Special K is a lightly toasted breakfast cereal manufactured by the Kellogg Company. The cereal was introduced to the United States in 1956. It is made primarily from rice and wheat. It is marketed primarily as a low-fat cereal that can be eaten to help one lose weight. It frequently has give-away offers for various health and fitness products or contains dieting information on the back of the box. Although marketed primarily as a dieting aid Special K does, in fact, contain more calories and 60% more fat than Kelloggs Corn Flakes.^[1][2]

Contents 1 Nutrition 2 Varieties 3 Special K Bars 4 Special K Mini Breaks 5 Ingredients 5.1 North American Market except Canada 5.2 Canada 5.3 UK 5.4 Australian and Other Markets 6 Controversy in Europe 7 See also 8 Notes 9 External links

[edit] Nutrition

In North America, Special K Original has 110 Cal per 29g cup serving. One serving contains 0.5g fat, 22g carbohydrates, 2g sugar and 5g protein.^[3] In the UK, Special K Original is 17% sugar, meaning a 30g serving contains 5g of sugar.^[4]

In the UK a recent advertising campaign has focused on the results of a study run in collaboration with the Department of Human Sciences at Loughborough University requiring overweight volunteer subjects to replace two meals a day with a bowl of the cereal. ^[5] The study found that "after 2 weeks up to 75% of subjects had slimmer waists and hips. The university’s scientists concluded that the majority of this was due to fat loss."

[edit] Varieties

In the US, Special K currently comes in nine different varieties:^[6]

• Special K Original
• Special K Chocolatey Delight
• Special K Cinnamon Pecan
• Special K Blueberry
• Special K Red Berries
• Special K Vanilla Almond
• Special K Fruit & Yogurt
• Special K Protein Plus
• Special K Satisfaction

In the UK, Special K currently comes in ten varieties:^[7]

• Special K
• Special K Red Berries
• Special K Purple Berries
• Special K Peaches & Apricots
• Special K Bliss Creamy Berry Crunch
• Special K Bliss Strawberry & Chocolate
• Special K Oats & Honey
• Special K Yoghurty
• Special K Sustain
• Special K Medley

[edit] Special K Bars

Special K bars are marketed as a low fat snack alternatives to regular snacks. There are several varieties of Kellogg's Special K bar, including original, apple & pear, blueberry, chocolate, orange & chocolate, raspberry & chocolate, peach & apricot. IThere are new flavors that were created such as cherry, watermelon and pineapple.

[edit] Special K Mini Breaks

Special K Mini Breaks are a low-fat bite-size snack. They come in the following flavours:

• Plain
• Chocolate
• Zesty Lemon

[edit] Ingredients

[edit] North American Market except Canada

Rice, wheat gluten, sugar, defatted wheat germ, salt, high fructose corn syrup, dried whey, malt flavoring, calcium caseinate, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), alpha tocopherol acetate (vitamin E), reduced iron, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamin hydrochloride (vitamin B1), vitamin A palmitate, folic acid, and vitamin B12.

[edit] Canada

Special K's original formula is different in Canada compared to the US. The Canadian formula has a different tasting flake which reflects the "Canadian taste preference" (according to the Consumer Relations department of Kellogg's in Canada) while the American formula is like the other related products but without nuts or dried fruits.

The Canadian formula includes rice, wheat gluten, sugar/glucose-fructose, defatted wheat germ, salt, malt (corn flour, malted barley), vitamins (thiamin hydrochloride, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, d-calcium pantothenate), iron, and BHT added to the package material to maintain product freshness.

[edit] UK

Rice, wheat (wholewheat, wheat flour), sugar, wheat gluten, defatted wheatgerm, dried skimmed milk, salt, barley malt flavouring, vitamin C, niacin, iron, vitamin B6, riboflavin (B2), thiamin (B1), folic acid, vitamin D, vitamin B12. ^[8]

[edit] Australian and Other Markets

Cereals (62%) (rice, wheat), wheat gluten, sugar, wheat flour, minerals (calcium carbonate, iron, zinc oxide), salt, barley malt extract, vitamins (niacin, vitamin B6, riboflavin, thiamin, folate).

[edit] Controversy in Europe

The country of Denmark has outlawed Kellogg's products since 2004. Danish health officials banned the cereal because, as they claimed, Kellogg's wanted to add extremely high levels of vitamin B6, calcium, folic acid and iron, which would reach toxic levels when eaten on a daily basis. Young children risk liver and kidney damage, while the foeteses of pregnant women can suffer complications from the toxins. ^[9]

The Dutch television show Keuringsdienst van Waarde^[10], in an episode aired on 15 October 2009 in the Netherlands, followed up one of Kellogg's Special K nutrional claims, namely the addition of iron. The show provided evidence that the iron was not nutritional ionic iron - as it occurs in natural foods like spinach - but was in fact metallic iron. A Kellogg's telephone helpdesk employee was not willing to discuss the ingredients of their products in general, claiming it was a company secret, although in the show the company was not confronted with the findings. The nutritional experts in the show (a university professor and a general practitioner) agreed that actual metallic iron should not be part of a diet, speculating that it might damage organs.^[11] After the airing, the Dutch food authority nuanced the claims made in the TV program, claiming there are no health risks as long as Kellogg's stays within the legal limits. They also challenged the claim that the cereal could contain 'shredded bikes', and responded that iron powder is suitable for human consumption.^[12]

The evidence provided during the show follow David Catz's description of an experiment by Dr. Babu George, Sacred Heart University, in which iron is extracted from cereals.^[13] The description dates from 1984. As a result of this experiment being published and inquiries being made to the manufacturers, some companies have replaced the metallic iron in their products with an iron compound such as iron(III) phosphate, also called ferric phosphate.

[edit] See also

• Kellogg's Special K2O Protein Water

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Official website

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