YumSugar

Kellogg's Testing Logo Corn Flakes in the UK

YumSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:20:07 -0700

From Chanel suckers to LV-inspired cupcakes, fashion labels and food have been teaming up in unusual ways. But this trend may be headed in a direction that even the most brand-beset consumers couldn't have comprehended.

In an effort to quash imitators, cereal brand Kellogg's is developing laser technology in the UK to burn its logo onto individual Corn Flakes. "Now you'll always be able to tell your Corn Flakes from your corn fakes!" Kellogg's UK tweeted yesterday.
The company intends to use concentrated beams of light to print a toasted trademark logo without altering the cereal's taste, and is going to test batches before deciding whether or not to put branded flakes in all Corn Flakes boxes. If successful, the logos could be put on other brands, such as Special K and Bran Flakes.

Helen Lyons, lead food technologist for Kellogg, said, "We want shoppers to be under absolutely no illusion that Kellogg's does not make cereal for anyone else. We're constantly looking at new ways to reaffirm this, and giving our golden flakes of corn an official stamp of approval could be the answer."

Source: Twitpic User KelloggsUK

FDA: Packaged Foods' Health Claims Make Them Drugs

YumSugar — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:00:19 -0700

Could the breakfast staple, Cheerios, be classified as a drug? That's what the Food and Drug Administration is claiming, based on the product's labeling that it's "clinically proven to help lower cholesterol." On May 5, the FDA sent a warning letter to General Mills, the maker of Cheerios, charging that the cereal's cholesterol-lowering health claims violate federal law. It stated:

Based on claims made on your product's label, we have determined that your Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease.

According to The Wall Street Journal, if General Mills wishes to keep the statements on the Cheerios box as is, the company has to file a new-drug application for the cereal. In a statement issued this morning, General Mills expressed that it will "look forward to discussing this with the FDA and to reaching a resolution."

While I agree that the FDA should be closely involved with health claims in consumer products, I can't help but wonder whether this is taking resources away from a larger problem in the FDA's hands: improving food safety in our country. Should packaged foods be able to make health claims, or does that render them drugs?

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Kellogg's Donates Michael Phelps Cereal Boxes to Food Bank

YumSugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:00:22 -0700

Unwanted publicity from former spokesperson Michael Phelps has forced cereal giant Kellogg's to think outside the box.

Last August, Kellogg's debuted its limited-edition Corn Flakes cereal boxes with the gold medalist on the cover. But when a photo of the Olympian smoking marijuana out of a bong surfaced, Phelps - and, some say, in turn, Kellogg's - were swimming in controversy. Ultimately, the cereal maker decided not to renew a contract with Phelps. One question remained, however. What would be done with all the cereal boxes graced by the champion?

As it should happen, one company's trash is another organization's treasure: Roughly 3,800 pounds of the the boxes were donated to the San Francisco Food Bank two weeks ago.

With the economy in shambles and more people in need than ever, the Food Bank was all too happy to take the boxes off the company's hands. As for cereal, says San Francisco Food Bank executive director Paul Ash: "It's become very hard to get ahold of."

Now that the boxes are no longer on supermarket shelves, they'll probably be collector's items - ones that can only be found at the food bank. Even if I do think the so-called scandal was blown out of proportion, I'm happy to hear that the leftover cereal will further a good cause. Are you surprised to hear of the outcome?

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Subway Still Backs Michael Phelps - Sort Of

YumSugar — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:16:22 -0800

Sandwich chain Subway isn't dropping Olympian Michael Phelps as a sponsor yet - but it has removed all semblance of the swimmer from its website, and plans to delay its first TV campaign starring the gold medalist, which was originally slated for early 2009.

This is the fast-food chain's response after a photo broke last week of the Olympian smoking a bong. Immediately following the news, Kellogg's dropped its endorsement deal with the swimmer, and we wondered whether Phelps's other food sponsor, Subway, would follow the cereal maker's footsteps. Indeed, Phelps, who was all over the company's SubwayFreshBuzz website, which highlights "fresh celebrities," is no longer featured. The restaurant chain said in an official statement:

Like most Americans, and like Michael Phelps himself, we were disappointed in his behavior. Also, like most Americans, we accept his apology. Moving forward, he remains in our plans.

Considering the backlash that followed when Kellogg's dropped Phelps (a petition to boycott all of the brand's products), it's a smooth move on Subway's part to hang onto the swimmer, but have him lay low for a while. What's your opinion of the sandwich chain's strategy? Were you surprised they didn't end his endorsement deal?

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Phelps Supporters Boycott Kellogg's Products

YumSugar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:01:07 -0800

On Monday, a photo broke of Olympian Michael Phelps smoking marijuana out of a bong. The backlash was immediately palpable, with Kellogg's dropping its endorsement deal with the champion and USA Swimming suspending him from competition. Now supporters of Phelps, finding the reactions to be far too harsh, are taking matters into their own hands and petitioning to boycott Kellogg's products.

The online petition includes some amusing (and rather valid) points, such as the fact that "Kellogg's has profited for decades on the food tastes of marijuana using Americans with the munchies." Kellogg's was one of the first companies to bring Phelps on board for a mega-endorsement deal after he earned eight gold medals in last year's Summer Olympics. His splashy photo adorned boxes of Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes.

Although non-food sponsors such as Omega and Speedo are standing by Phelps, I wonder if his other food sponsor, Subway, will do the same. What do you think of the scandal? Will you sign the petition to boycott the company's products?

Update: BuzzNewsRoom reports that Subway has removed all semblance of Michael Phelps from its website as it prepares to drop his endorsement deal.

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New Cereal Box Size: Love It or Hate It?

partysugar — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 04:00:57 -0800

The Kellogg Company released a new cereal box design earlier this week. It's a space-saving box that is expected to fit into pantries more easily. The eco-friendly design holds the same amount of cereal but uses less materials. It's currently being tested in Detroit supermarkets and Kellogg hopes the smaller, fatter box will redefine the cereal aisle. I think the new box is fun but wonder if the general public will dislike the unexpected change. What do you think?

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Kellogg's Recalls Peanut Butter Sandwiches

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:00:05 -0800

Could peanut butter be the new milk? Following a salmonella outbreak thought to be caused by tainted peanut butter, Kellogg's announced late yesterday that it has asked stores to halt sales of all Austin and Keebler peanut butter sandwiches.While the company says it hasn't received any complaints or found any issues related to the products, Kellogg's has voluntarily ceased the sale of these products as a precautionary measure, after its supplier, Peanut Corp. of America, issued a recall for its peanut butter, due to possible contamination.

Austin and Keebler are pulling toasted peanut butter sandwich crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwich crackers, cheese and peanut butter sandwich crackers, and peanut butter-chocolate sandwich crackers from store shelves across the country.

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Archway Cookies Makes a Comeback, Too

YumSugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:00:21 -0800

The economy continues to tumble, yet there's no end in sight when it comes to the pattern of reviving extinguished store-bought cookie brands. Following the rebirth of Mother's cookies by Kellogg's, snack company Lance is bailing out Archway, the sister company to Mother's that also collapsed this October. Before its demise, Archway was known nationwide for its soft-batch cookies in various flavors such as oatmeal and nougat. When Archway filed for Chapter 11, nearly 300 workers were left displaced and without jobs. Last week, Lance stunned former employees by giving many of them their old jobs back and presenting each full-time employee with a $1,500 gift card. The Charlotte, NC-based company resumed operations at Archway this week.

I'm glad to hear that these cookies are coming back, and even more thrilled to hear of people getting their jobs back. At a time when layoffs seem to be the only news making headlines, I'm relieved that at least some people are happily returning to their jobs. Are you excited for the return of Archway cookies?

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Biggest Headline of 2008: Cookies Die and Come Back

YumSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:00:48 -0800

This year was a turbulent year for all, and the traditional snack cookie was no exception. Snack companies took fans on a roller coaster ride, discontinuing cookies and then announcing their revival. In January of this year, cookie classicists reeled from the loss of the Hydrox cookie, the crispy, chocolate sandwiches the preceded the Oreo. Consumers raised such ruckus over the death of Hydrox that Kellogg's, the cookie's manufacturer, agreed to bring it back. The catch? Kellogg's stated that the cookie's overall future was contingent on whether "it sells a lot."So far, Hydrox has remained on shelves. Mother's cookies, however, were not so lucky. After nearly 100 years of baking, Mother's Cookies crumbled, leaving lovers of Circus Animal Cookies and Taffy Sandwiches up in arms. Archway, which bought out Mother's cookies in 2005, also dissolved.

This month, Kellogg's announced it would be acquiring the rights to Mother's recipes, too. The company didn't reveal too many details, but did say it plans to rekindle the most popular of Mother's snacks. Did you find this year's cookie drama unsettling? Are you worried that any of these sweet Kellogg's deals will sour?

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Kellogg's Will Bring Back Mother's Cookies

partysugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 03:00:56 -0800

Kellogg's has acquired the trademarks and recipes of Mother's Cookies. The beloved maker of the childhood-favorite circus animal cookies filed for bankruptcy in early October. Now Kellogg's plans to bring the brand back and reintroduce Mother's most popular cookies. Although the terms of the deal were not revealed, the president of Kellogg, David Mackay, stated that "Kellogg will use its understanding of the cookie category and distribution infrastructure to expand sales of Mother's Cookies."

I'm excited by the news. What do you think of the rebirth?

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