Black Friday relief

After a day of stuffing oneself with turkey, followed by another of non-stop shopping, something lighter is needed.

Here's a useless diversion that creates futuristic names of current cereals: Futuristic Cereal Name Generator.

---

Technorati Tags: cereal, humor, BreakfastBowl

Cheerios Snack Mix

OK, it's not a breakfast cereal, but Cheerios' new Snack Mixes (in original and cheddar flavors) are worth noting.

With the growing struggles that the big cereal makers are having, they must find ways of strengthening their brands. Innovation is essential.

Cheerios is one of the strongest cereal brands going, and it is wise for General Mills to do all it can to keep it in the forefront of consumers' minds. They have already recognized that it is a perfect finger-food for children, and now reinforce that it has a role as a snack food. (With this latter emphasis, they have already done something similar with Chex.)

---

Technorati Tags: cereal, General+Mills, Cheerios, BreakfastBowl

Cereal ingredient trends

According to Productscan, reported in Food Business Review, after blend, oat was the leading flavor in global cereal launches in the past year. Chocolate was next, its popularity I've commented on before. Wheat's popularity is falling.

Technorati Tags: cereal, grains, breakfastbowl

Food fraud?

The Center for Science in the Public Interest announced this week eight "food frauds", misleading claims made by food manufacturers.The list includes a cereal, Kellogg's Special K Fruit and Yogurt. CSPI says that despite the claim that it "combines the crunch of whole grain goodness, the smooth creaminess of yogurt, and the sweet taste of berries", the cereal actually has no berries or real yogurt, and barely any whole wheat.

Consumers demand integrity in advertising. The product must deliver as promoted. Are cereal companies pushing the truth envelope at times for the sake of sales?

Technorati Tags: cereal, marketing, Kellogg, breakfastbowl

Kraft selling Post

UPDATE: Confirmed that on November 15th the sale took place for nearly $1.7 billion. (See Forbes)

Rumors have been swirling around a potential sale of the Post cereal brand from Kraft.

Reports today indicate that the division is about to be sold, likely to Ralcorp, a private-brand food maker. This is not surprising considering the dismal position of Post in the current marketplace. Hopefully it will breathe new life into this brand and contribute to more competition.

---

Technorati Tags: cereal, Kraft, BreakfastBowl

Cereal Killers

With Halloween this week it is worth noting a creative art project called "Cereal Killers", described as a "spooky, kooky coffin table cartoon art book featuring terrorfying takes on some of your favorite breakfast cereal's" (sic).

Check it out: LINK

Technorati Tags: cereal, art, cartoons, breakfastbowl

Yet another bowl

Creative inventors are always looking for ways to make common activities easier and better experiences.

I have frequently highlighted innovative cereal bowls and dispensers, including travel bowls that separate the cereal from the milk, and keep the latter cold. The latest is the Fresh Start Breakfast Chiller, a complete, multi-compartment plastic device to take your cereal with you when are on the go. The bottom layer is actually an ice ring to keep your milk chilled for up to 6 hours.





Technorati Tags: cereal, bowls, breakfastbowl

Cereal and bloggers

It's time again for a listing of significant blog postings and articles pertaining to cereal. Here are some from over the past few months that caught my attention:

FARK provides a collection of user generated photoshopped cereal boxes inspired by Kellogg's decision to stop marketing unhealthy cereals to children.

GeekLikeMe complains on the lazy marketing strategies that cereal companies have adopted.

Salon.com has an article calling for a rebellion against breakfast cereal supremacy.

Cracked.com takes an irreverant look at the dark side behind popular cereal mascots.

The Columbia Basin Herald features a column bemoaning the frustration of ripping the cereal bag in the morning.

Technorati Tags: cereal, blog, breakfastbowl

Rapid cereal growth in India

Cereal companies may be having problems in North America, but there are tremendous opportunities in emerging markets like in Asia. The Economic Times has a fascinating article on the breakfast cereal industry in India, where sales are increasing 30% per year.

But this new market is no guarantee of success for the big players. Kellogg faltered early on in India for not recognizing unique cultural preferences (e.g. they like cereal with warm milk). A local company gained ground by creating a cereal that didn't get soggy in warm milk, and therefore attracted consumers.

LINK

---

Technorati Tags: cereal, Kellogg, India, BreakfastBowl

Cereal boxes for education

No, not those General Mills points people collect.

According to The Business Review (Albany), the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering has partnered with Price Chopper Supermarkets to develop cereal boxes with information on nanotechnology printed on the box. It is hoped that middle- and high-school students will benefit from this.

OK, hardly exhilirating reading in the morning. But, why not? Since cereal has been traditionally marketed predominately by its packaging, maybe cereal companies (and even educators) could adapt this and think of other ways to rejuvenate this staple food and its place in our culture.

Besides, we might learn something.

Technorati Tags: cereal, marketing, breakfastbowl