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The US company Kellogg's defended itself against the classification of its breakfast cereals as "unhealthy" - unsuccessfully
Photo: MIKE SEGAR/ REUTERS
The US group Kellogg's, manufacturer of cornflakes and smacks, has failed in Great Britain with a lawsuit against new regulations for unhealthy food.
London's High Court on Monday upheld a British government campaign against childhood obesity.
As a result, supermarkets will soon no longer be able to place products that contain a lot of sugar, fat and salt in particularly visible places such as entrances and checkouts.
Kellogg's had fought in court against the fact that its products were classified as unhealthy.
At a hearing in April, the company particularly criticized the formula for calculating the nutritional value of breakfast cereals: Kellogg's wanted the cereals to be evaluated together with milk rather than dry.
In its ruling, however, the court found that no breakfast cereal manufacturer objected to the methodology during the consultation phase on the new rules.
Fighting obesity is a priority in the UK
Judge Thomas Linden said there was no disputing that breakfast cereal could be part of a healthy diet.
However, if a product contains "too much fat, sugar or salt," it is harmful to children's health.
Under the new rules, which take effect from October, more than half of Kellogg's products would be classified as unhealthy, he said.
The government welcomed the court decision and stressed the importance of fighting overweight and obesity.
Obesity is the second leading cause of cancer in Britain and costs the NHS "billions of pounds each year".
According to Kellogg's, the new regulations mean that profits will fall by around five million pounds (5.8 million euros) a year.
czl/AFP/ap
