Kraft Cuts Size of Snacks 'to Help Fight Obesity'

Kraft Foods, the world's biggest maker of processed foods, said yesterday it would shrink its ready-made meals and snacks to help combat the obesity epidemic.

It is also concerned to stave off the mounting threat of lawsuits from overweight people.

Fee-hungry lawyers who have become rich on tobacco lawsuits have begun to salivate over the US food industry. Kraft, controlled by Altria which also owns the cigarette maker Philip Morris, is sensitive to the threat. The company has annual worldwide sales of $30bn.

As well as reducing the size of its portions for single-serve products, Kraft will cut the sugar, fat and calorie content in many foods. Nutritional labelling will be improved and vending machines in schools will offer healthier snacks.

Kraft, which makes the Philadelphia cheese spreads, Maxwell House coffee and Nabsico biscuits, said it would set guidelines for advertising to children, taking care not to portray "over-consumption" and "sedentary lifestyles".

"The rise in obesity is a public health challenge of global proportions," said Betsy Holden, co-chief executive of Kraft, "and we have an important role to play."

But Kraft is also looking after its own interests.

Lawsuits brought against the fast food chain McDonald's on behalf of children suffering from obesity have set off alarms. Although the cases were dismissed, McDonald's has changed the content of its Chicken McNuggetts after a judge branded them McFrankenstein food and left the door open for further suits.

Early tobacco suits also failed, until evidence emerged that the industry knew more about potential dangers than the public. A similar discovery by lawyers about the food industry could have devastating consequences.

A failed suit has already been launched against Kraft by a man in California, seeking a ban on Oreo Cookies, one of America's favourite snacks.

Richard Johnson, a Kraft spokesman, denied that the fear of lawsuits was the main reason for the initiative. "It's not the prime motivation, but if it makes lawsuits less likely then that's good too."

According to the American Obesity Association, 15.3% of children between the ages of six and 11 are significantly overweight, more than double the percentage in 1980. Among children aged between 12 and 19, 15.5% are obese, compared with just 5% in 1980.