News Releases
TORONTO - May 10, 2005 - Kellogg Canada, in partnership with Active Healthy Kids
Canada, is making it easier for children to increase their activity levels both at home and at school with the launch of Kidz Count, a fun and interactive program designed to get kids moving in the right direction, one step at a time. The Kidz Count program was officially launched today at Dundas Public School in Toronto, on the World Health Organization’s “Move for Health” day, which urges member countries to celebrate by promoting physical activity as essential for health and well-being.
Beginning in mid-May, kids will be able to count their steps using free Kidz Count
pedometers available in over two million specially marked boxes of Kellogg’s cereals, while quantities last. Through Kellogg’s Kidz Count, children and their families will learn new activities to help build physical activity into their daily routine, encouraging them to make a lifelong commitment to active, healthy living.
“The physical activity level of Canadian children is now a serious health and social
development issue,” says Dr. Mark Tremblay, Chair, Active Healthy Kids Canada. “We
are proud to partner with Kellogg Canada on the Kidz Count program in an effort to raise awareness about the importance of physical activity among children – a factor often overlooked in the obesity equation.”
Kellogg Canada is challenging kids across Canada to track their steps and join the Kidz Count mission to walk at least 2,000 extra steps a day for two weeks1. Two thousand extra steps equals approximately 20 minutes of activity per day. An interactive and educational website, www.kidzcount.ca, will allow kids to record their extra steps while helping their favourite Kellogg’s character complete a tour of a virtual Trans Canada Trail. Kids who complete a mission will be awarded a certificate and will be entered into a draw for a chance to win prizes. As part of the Kidz Count program, Kellogg’s is making a donation towards the Trans Canada trail, a recreational trail designed to encourage Canadians to be more active.
Parents and teachers can visit www.kidzcount.ca to download free Kidz Count tips and
simple activities, as well as educational resources and strategies to promote physical activity in a home or school setting. Active Healthy Kids Canada and Kellogg’s are also challenging classrooms to get active and increase their physical activity levels by adding a minimum of 20 additional minutes of activity a day.
According to new research, schools with programs that encourage kids to eat well and
exercise tend to have a much healthier and fitter student body 2. Research also shows that two-thirds of Canadian school-aged children are not active enough for optimal development and they become less active as they get older 3.
“At Kellogg Canada, kids count in many ways and that’s why we created this unique
interactive program designed to help kids get more active,” says Christine Lowry, Vice President, Nutrition, Kellogg Company. “By providing a simple tool for kids and the benefit of educational resources for parents and teachers, we are helping to instill healthy habits in Canadian children.”
The Kidz Count pedometers will be inserted inside specially marked Kellogg’s cereals
and cereal snacks. There are three Kidz Count pedometers to collect, one with Tony the Tiger*, one with Snap*, Crackle* and Pop* and one with Toucan Sam*. The program
will be supported with a creative television advertising campaign running across Canada beginning in May, in both English and French and an interactive website www.kidzcount.ca hosted by The Family Channel. The campaign will also be promoted in-store and via public relations.
About Active Healthy Kids Canada
Active Healthy Kids Canada was established as a charitable organization in 1994 to
advocate the importance of physical activity for children and youth. As a national leader in this area, Active Healthy Kids Canada provides expertise and direction to decision makers at all levels, from policy-makers to parents, in order to increase the attention given to, investment in, and effective implementation of physical activity opportunities for all Canadian children and youth. For more information visit www.activehealthykids.ca.
About Kellogg Canada
Founded in 1914, Kellogg Canada is the leading manufacturer of ready-to-eat cereal in Canada. The company’s brands include Special K*, Vector*, All-Bran*, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes*, Kellogg’s* Two Scoops* Raisin Bran, Eggo*, Nutri-Grain*, Rice Krispies*, Pop-Tarts*, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes*, and Froot Loops*. In addition to providing nutritious, high-quality foods, Kellogg Canada is committed to educating consumers about nutrition and healthy, active living through responsible packaging, brochures, advertising and symposia developed with the scientific and medical communities. For more information, visit the Kellogg Canada Web site at www.kelloggs.ca.
For more information:
Kellogg Canada Media Hotline
905-290-5416
mediahotline.canada@kellogg.com
*©2005, Trademark of Kellogg Company used under licence by Kellogg Canada Inc.
1 Adding 2000 extra steps per day (which is equivalent to an additional 15-20 minutes of walking) is sufficient to prevent the average weight gained by a typical North American over the course of one year. James O. Hill, Science, Vol. 299, 2003.
2 Paul J. Veugelers et al., American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 95 (3).
3 The Progress of Canadian Children 2001, Canadian Council on Social Development
KIDS COUNT IN MORE THAN ONE WAY AT
KELLOGG’S
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Kellogg’s is taking its commitment to children’s health one step further by supporting additional initiatives dedicated to the development of healthy active living strategies for school-aged children including:
1) Active Healthy Kids Canada National Report Card
Kellogg Canada is supporting the first annual National Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, a signature initiative of Active Healthy Kids Canada.
In December 2004, Active Healthy Kids Canada invited leading issue experts across North America to participate in a symposium designed to initiate the process for the first annual National Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. The results of the report card will be released on Active Healthy Kids Day which takes place on May 26, 2005.
2) 2005 Kellogg Nutrition Symposium: The Health of School-Aged Children
The Kellogg Nutrition Symposium (KNS) represents the company’s commitment to providing health professionals from across North America with current research on relevant nutrition and health topics to support their continuing education. This year’s symposium, dedicated to The Health of School-Aged Children will be held at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto on May 27, 2005, and will provide an overview of child health, with an emphasis on healthy eating and active living strategies. Leading experts featured at this year’s Kellogg Nutrition Symposium include: Dr. Judith Erola, Canadian Institute of Child Health; Dr. Andrew Pipe, Ottawa Heart Institute; Dr. Kim Raine, University of Alberta; Dr. Oded Barr-Or, McMaster University; Cathy Loblaw, Concerned Children’s Advertisers; and Dr. Claude Rocan, Health Canada.
