Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Review: General Mills' Blasted Shreds

This blog examines the significant news, trends and cultural impacts of cereal, so we rarely do actual reviews of the hundreds of brands and varieties out there. Nevertheless, every once in awhile a new cereal shows up that stands out from the predictable offerings in the grocery aisle, and worthy of an official taste test. General Mills' new Blasted Shreds fit this bill.

We became aware of new Blasted Shreds (or simply "Shreds") last fall, when reports started coming out about several new cereals to be introduced by General Mills in 2018 (including Lucky Charms Frosted Flakes). On the surface, this appears to be just another whole wheat mini-biscuit, of which there are several on the market, such as Post Shredded Wheat, and Kellogg's Mini-Wheats. But, Shreds takes shredded wheat to a whole new level. These are highly flavored and sweetened, promising the best of taste and whole grain goodness. And, showing they're serious about this new brand, General Mills launched the brand with two powreful varieties: Peanut Butter Chocolate, and a co-branded Cinnamon Toast Crunch one. For this review, both will be examined together.



We start with taste, and these cereals are rich in flavor. That is their selling point, incorporating familiar tastes that consumers will quickly gravitate toward. I concur. These were delightful. The naturally-flavored Peanut Butter Chocolate was perhaps a little too sweet on first bite, but once soaking in milk it all came together well. The Cinnamon Toast Crunch edition was OK, but not quite as good as original CTC. Somehow, with shredded wheat in the mix the popular cereal taste did not fully deliver, but nonetheless worth eating.


Shred's texture is almost perfect. The small biscuits are easy to eat, even without milk. The well-blended flavorings prevent them from coming across as straw, as is common with shredded wheat. Add milk, and even after 5 or 10 minutes, these cereals hold up well and perform as one would expect and desire.


There is more to cereal than when it is in your mouth. As an important part of food culture, the intangibles influence appeal as much as taste and texture. Again, Shred's deliver. General Mills was not interested in producing just another typical cereal brand, but was instead intentional to get people's attention. The box design presents a bold image of energy and taste, and the flavor choices themselves indicate a new cereal of great interest. And, for what it's worth, the experience of picking up a box is itself significant. This is a highly dense cereal, and a full box (of average size) has great heft, weighing almost one and a half pounds.

General Mills is quick to emphasize that "Whole Grain is the 1st Ingredient." As a shredded wheat cereal, Shreds should be very wholesome, and for the most part, they are. Each 55g serving contains 7g of fiber and 6g of protein. The great taste, however, comes at a cost. The sugar content (22-23%) is slightly above ideal (20% maximum), and the addition of oils make the fat content (4.5-5g) much higher than is typical in most cereals. Broadly speaking, Shreds are nutritionally far superior to many cereals available today; but don't be fooled, this is not health food brand.

Ultimately, reviewing Shreds was not disappointing. This is one of the most innovative developments from one of the big cereal manufacturers in quite some time. They should be a hit, and the prospects are good for this brand to expand to other flavors as well. So, if you haven't already, you should try them! They are not perfect, but all things considered, deserve a complete collection of Breakfast Bowl points!

1 comment:

Debbie Gilbert said...

I'm so glad you chose to review this new product. I was intrigued when I saw it on the grocery shelves last month, since I am a big fan of the PB/chocolate flavor combination. But when I picked up the box and it felt like it weighed a ton, I was reluctant to buy it (despite having a coupon). I was afraid it would be difficult to digest and would sit in my stomach like a pile of rocks. Having read your review about the intense flavor, I would like to try it – perhaps only consuming a small amount at a time.