Sanitarium Health Food Company has launched a dedicated breakfast cereal for children aged 1-5 years, following two years of development, input from 1200 parents and reviews from 145 dietitians to inform its creation.
The result is Weet-Bix Little Kids Essentials—a uniquely formulated breakfast cereal recommended by nine out of 10 children’s dietitians.
Sanitarium canvassed 1200 new parents to better understand their biggest concerns about their child’s diet and overall health. Their input helped build an ideal breakfast cereal for toddlers and pre-schoolers, right down to the nutrients that mattered to parents including fibre, calcium and iron.
Accredited practising dietitian and nutrition science manager at Sanitarium Health Food Company, Chris Cashman, said it was clear parents were looking for a breakfast cereal with nutritional goodness to tick all the boxes.
“Parents know the first few years of their child’s life are crucial but it’s not always easy to get little kids to eat healthy foods, especially when they are tired, teething or fussy. In fact, 87 per cent of parents told us they just wanted healthy food for their child that they’ll be happy to eat and gives them what they need—that was our challenge,” said Mr Cashman.
“By starting with Weet-Bix, we knew we had a cereal that parents trusted and little kids happily ate—two big wins. We then tailored the cereal to optimally deliver the nutrition little ones need by increasing the variety of wholegrains and adding calcium, zinc and vitamin B6 to the vitamins and minerals already in Weet-Bix.
“As a result, Weet-Bix Little Kids Essentials is high in fibre and delivers nine essential vitamins and minerals to support young children in meeting growth and development milestones, as well as providing support for strong immune defences and happy tummies, when eaten as part of a balanced diet.”
Parents weren’t the only experts consulted in creating the product. Sanitarium commissioned an independent survey of Australian and New Zealand dietitians, asking them to review the cereal’s nutrition credentials. The survey found nine out of 10 children’s dietitians would recommend Weet-Bix Little Kids Essentials for healthy children aged 1-5 years.
