Wheaties - back in the game?

I've been questioning recently whether General Mills is serious about keeping Wheaties a strong, sports-oriented brand. Kellogg's recent coup with Michael Phelps seemed to confirm that Wheaties is no longer the box on which to be seen.

It appears that General Mills might be getting back into the game. They announced this week that two recent gold medal Olympians will appear on upcoming Wheaties boxes: Nastia Liukin (gymnastics) and Bryan Clay (decathlon). They have also updated their website with a new look.

The question is: Will this be enough for Wheaties to have a full come-back?

Technorati Tags: cereal, Wheaties, Nastia+Liukin, Bryan+Clay, breakfastbowl

Safeway goes Looney

Grocery giant Safeway has released a new line of children's food products as part of its private label "Eating Right" brand. To enhance the image of the new Eating Right Kids line they have entered into a licensing arrangement with Warner Bros. to utilize their Looney Tunes characters such as Bugs Bunny, Tweety, and Marvin the Martian. Eating Right is postioned as healthy foods, and over 100 items will be made available in this new children's line.This includes five cereals, all of which use natural flavors and meet certain nutrition guidelines.

This is not first time cereals have featured Looney Tune characters, but Safeway has found a way to unite popular culture with health. And, that makes it worth watching (and eating).

Technorati Tags: cereal, marketing, Looney+Tunes, Safeway, breakfastbowl

mymuesli heads to the U.K.

By far, the most innovative cereal company out there right now is mymuesli of Germany. The company allows customers to order custom-made muesli, choosing from 75 different ingredients.

mymuesli has announced that that they are now shipping to the United Kingdom, certainly a logical choice as Britain is the biggest cereal country in the European Union.

Now, if we could just get them to setup in the U.S.!

Technorati Tags: cereal, mymuesli, breakfastbowl

He's Gr-r-r-eight!

Summer has been a quiet time in cereal world, but things have really heated up this week with the announcement by Kellogg that they will be honoring U.S. Olympic medalist Michael Phelps. Phelps, winner of a record eight gold medals, will be featured on boxes of Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes, beginning in September.

No one questions the accolades given to Phelps, but the blogosphere and media have already lit up, concerned that Frosted Flakes is not a healthy cereal for Phelps to be gracing. Perhaps it sends the wrong message to children?

This is a major coup for Kellogg, but not the first time they have featured a major athlete. But, for me, it raises the question again: Where's General Mills and Wheaties? Did they even try? Or is Wheaties now out of medal contention?

Technorati Tags: cereal, Phelps, Kellogg, breakfastbowl

Heavyweights

Later this week, the Food Network will be airing an episode of "Heavyweights" that focuses on the long-time competition between Kellogg's, General Mills and Post through the years. It will feature some interesting history and background to cereal manufacturing and marketing.

Of particular interest to me: A producer from the show contacted me several months back to discuss the idea and I provided some information and photos for them.

Technorati Tags: cereal, Food+Network, TV, breakfastbowl

New beginning for Post

As reported last fall, Kraft sold its Post cereal division to private-brand food maker, Ralcorp. It look likes the deal will close next week.

This should be watched closely for several reasons: First, it will be interesting to see how a private-label company responds to controlling a big brand like Post. Second, despite some recent advancements and its strong Honey Bunches of Oats line, Post has been a struggling cereal brand in the last decade or more. Can it be revived to a position of prominence again?

(See article in St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Technorati Tags: cereal, Post, Ralcorp, breakfastbowl

Cereal cost

Food prices have been rising lately, and cereal has been no exception. Obviously, the high cost of fuel has certainly been a major factor. Some also blame the increased production of ethanol from corn which is driving up food prices.

A chart produced by the Toronto Star provides an interesting look into what costs go into a box of cereal. Most significant is that the actual cost of the grains comprise only 2% of the cost, and transportation accounts for 4.5% (but that could be rising). If these numbers are close to being accurate, it corrects some misconceptions we might have as to why cereal prices are really rising. Which prompts one to ask: Are the cereal companies completely honest when they communicate the reasons for higher prices and shrinking boxes? It's too easy to blame fuel prices, etc.

It also shows: Processed foods have little to do with the actual ingredients.

Worth thinking about.

(See larger version of chart here)

Technorati Tags: cereal, price, food+processing, breakfastbowl

Can you identify the cereal?

Need some summer fun and distractions?

Try this Breakfast Cereal ID Quiz over at AOL Food. They give you 20 pictures of actual cereal pieces and you have to identify them. Some are easy, others much more difficult. Plus, some interesting trivia tidbits.

I scored 19 out of 20.

Technorati Tags: cereal, quiz, breakfastbowl

More vintage

Upon further reflection of my recent post on vintage cereal boxes I have come up with an idea that cereal companies may want to seriously consider.

What about vintage cereals, not just vintage boxes?

That's right, cereal companies could tap into our fascination with nostalgia by re-introducing cereals from the past in vintage packaging. They wouldn't have to be permanent additions, but limited editions. No more than one or two at a time would be needed by each company, but it would be a great way to capture sales in a highly competitive marketplace. I also suspect they could charge a little more and still sell them out.

Wouldn't it be great to taste again Kellogg's OKs or Puffa Puffa Rice? General Mills would have many excellent choices to offer, such as Sir Grapefellow, Crazy Cow, or Twinkles. What about Quaker Quake (they've already done this with Quisp!)? Or, Ralston Freakies? And, of course, Post Pink Panther Flakes!

We're tired of yet another flavor of Special K, or a new marshmallow in Lucky Charms.

How about something a little more exciting?

Technorati Tags: cereak, nostalgia, breakfastbowl

Vintage Post

Vintage cereal boxes are not new (General Mills made some earlier this year). Now it's Post's turn.

I recently came across three of their cereals in vintage-looking boxes: Raisin Bran, Spoon-Size Shredded Wheat, and Grape Nuts. While not as authentic looking as what I've seen from General Mills and Kellogg, they are nonetheless fun, especially with the historical information on the back panels.

Nostalgia is a great way to sell cereal, as the morning breakfast bowl is deeply embedded in our culture and on our psyches. Cereal companies need to tap into this more.

Technorati Tags: cereal, Post, nostalgia, Raisin+Bran, Shredded+Wheat, Grape+Nuts, breakfastbowl