Kellogg Company Provides $1 Million In Grants To Support School Breakfast Programs

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., May 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Research confirms it: children who start the day with breakfast do better in school[¹]. And yet, each day one in five children[²] across the U.S. open their textbooks in the morning on an empty stomach.

"Like many parents, I'm startled and saddened by the reality that so many children start their day without the nutrition they need to succeed," said Kris Charles, Vice President, Global Communications and Philanthropy, Kellogg Company. "And I'm proud to work for a company that can help reverse this trend."

"Because we know the power of breakfast in fueling better days and better lives, we're pleased to provide grants to support school breakfast programs across the U.S., providing access to food that provides critical nutrition that can in turn improve school performance for thousands of children."

Kellogg Company Fund has committed to providing $1 million in grants to increase participation in breakfast programs at schools throughout the U.S. during the 2014-15 academic year.

The grants are part of Breakfasts for Better Days^TM, Kellogg Company's global signature cause with a goal to provide 1 billion servings of cereal and snacks – more than half of which are breakfast – to children and families in need around the world by the end of 2016. A key tenet of the initiative is supporting breakfast programs globally.

Grants will be provided to Action for Healthy Kids, Share Our Strength and Food Research & Action Center, organizations committed to providing important resources to help schools grow participation in federal school breakfast programs. Grants will be used by schools to purchase equipment and cover other program costs to help more children start the day with a nutritious breakfast.

"At Action for Healthy Kids, we firmly believe that all children deserve to be healthy and ready to learn at the beginning of their school day," said Rob Bisceglie, Action for Healthy Kids CEO. "And many rely on the national School Breakfast Program to make that happen. The support we get from companies like Kellogg is absolutely critical in the work we do to further access to this program for kids who need it most." 

Data shows that breakfast can help kick-start metabolism, energy and focus for learning and can help set children up for the day ahead[³],[⁴]. Together, cereal plus one cup of milk is a leading source of 10 nutrients important to growing bodies, and may provide four of the nutrients Americans are missing most[⁵] – calcium, potassium, vitamin D and fiber^**[⁶].

To learn more about Kellogg Company's Breakfasts for Better Days initiative, visit KelloggCompany.com.

About Kellogg Company

At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), we are driven to enrich and delight the world through foods and brands that matter. With 2013 sales of $14.8 billion and more than 1,600 foods, Kellogg is the world's leading cereal company; second largest producer of cookies, crackers and savory snacks; and a leading North American frozen foods company. Our brands – Kellogg's®, Keebler®, Special K®, Pringles®, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes®, Pop-Tarts®, Kellogg's Corn Flakes®, Rice Krispies®, Kashi®, Cheez-It®, Eggo®, Mini-Wheats® and more – nourish families so they can flourish and thrive. Through our Breakfasts for Better Days® initiative,  we're providing 1 billion servings of cereal and snacks – more than half of which are breakfasts – to children and families in need around the world by the end of 2016. To learn more about Kellogg, visit www.kelloggcompany.com or follow us on Twitter @KelloggCompany.

[¹] Kleinman RE, Hall S, Green H, Korzec-Ramirez D, Patton K, Pagano ME, Murphy JM. Diet, breakfast, and academic performance in children. Ann Nutr Metab. 2002;46 Suppl 1:24-30.
[²] U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2012. Breakfast: Percentages of Selected Nutrients Contributed by Foods Eaten at Breakfast, by Gender and Age, What We Eat in America, NHANES 2009-2010. Available: www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/fsrg
[³] Kosti RI, Panagiotakos DB, Zampelas A, Mihas C, Alevizos A, Leonard C, Tountas Y, Mariolis A. The association between consumption of breakfast cereals and BMI in schoolchildren aged 12-17 years: the VYRONAS study. Public Health Nutr. 2008 Oct;11(10):1015-21.
[⁴] Cooper SB, Bandelow S, Nevill ME. Breakfast consumption and cognitive function in adolescent schoolchildren. Physiol Behav. 2011 Jul 6;103(5):431-9.
[⁵] NHANES, 2003-2006.
**When eating a cereal that contains fiber
[⁶] U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), 2010. 7th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, December 2010.

SOURCE Kellogg Company