Kellogg adds fiber, hoping to bowl cereal consumers over

— -- Some 80% of Kellogg cereals will have at least 3 grams of fiber per serving by the end of 2010. That may sound small, but foods with 3 grams are rated a good source of fiber by the government. The fiber boost begins in August with kid-targeted cereals Froot Loops and Apple Jacks.

The move is expected to rock the packaged foods industry, which is under pressure from consumers and lawmakers to boost food quality. The industry has recently begun embracing fiber-fortified products at warp speed.

New products touting higher fiber are rolling out at a record clip in 2009, with 6.5% of new foods making such a claim through the month of May, reports Datamonitor, the research specialist. Marketers from Dannon to Kraft have introduced fiber-enriched products this year.

Fiber is the top-ranked item that consumers are asking Kellogg to add to kid cereals, says Jose Alberto Duenas, vice president of U.S. cereal marketing. The number of consumers who check fiber content on nutrition panels grew to 52% last year, vs. 42% in 2006, reports the International Food Information Council.

Fearing a clampdown by the Obama administration, "Companies that make highly processed foods are looking for ways to make them look less processed," adds Tom Vierhile, director of Datamonitor's Product Launch Analytics. "Besides, consumers perceive more fiber as good for you."

Adding fiber alone won't make a product better, says Michael Jacobson, director of the consumer group, Center for Science in the Public Interest. "You can gussie up any product by adding fiber and vitamins," he says, but says what consumers need to check for are added sugars, sodium and dyes.

Although it's made fiber-heavy cereals such as All-Bran since 1916, the move by Kellogg will now spread fiber to its kid cereals, many of which have no fiber. The change will be touted on panels prominently displayed on cereal box fronts.