General Mills Releases Seven Updated Cereal Recipes

As part of a commitment to remove artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources from all of its cereals by the end of 2017, General Mills has released its first wave of new cereal recipes, which includes Trix, Reese's Puffs, Cocoa Puffs, Golden Grahams, Chocolate Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios and Fruity Cheerios. The cereals are now available in the cereal aisle at local retailers nationwide and highlight no high fructose corn syrup and no artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources on the front of each box.

The seven updated cereal recipes arrive on store shelves as the new 2015 Dietary Guidelines outline a growing need for consumers to add more whole grains in their diet, an area General Mills Big G cereals has been working on since 2005. This has resulted in whole grains as the first ingredient in all of its cereals.

"We are thrilled to see the 2015 Dietary Guidelines continue to recommend making half of your grains whole and recognizing 16-grams of whole grain as a serving, which wasn't in the previous Guidelines," says Lesley Shiery, RD, senior nutrition scientist, Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition at General Mills. "All of our Big G cereals contain at least 10-grams of whole grain per serving and many also deliver underconsumed nutrients for specific populations like vitamins A, C, D, calcium and iron."

The updated General Mills' cereal recipes now include fruit and vegetables juices, as well as spice extracts such as turmeric and annatto to achieve the fun red, yellow, orange and purple colors in Trix and Fruity Cheerios. Reese' Puffs and Golden Grahams will incorporate natural vanilla flavor to achieve the same great taste that adults and children have come to expect.

"Our General Mills Big G cereal team is always listening to consumers about how we can improve our cereals and make them better, including removing artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources," saysLauren Pradhan, senior marketing manager for wellness strategy in the cereal division. "The updated recipes hitting the cereal aisle this month deliver great taste and core benefits like whole grains to help moms and dads feel great about enjoying cereal with their family again."

To celebrate and build awareness surrounding the updated cereal recipes, General Mills Big G cereal is launching a national advertising campaign titled "Again." The campaign highlights the company's journey to actively remove the ingredients that people don't want to see in their cereal bowl, so parents have many reasons to love General Mills Big G cereal all over again. The "Again" ad can be viewed online. 

With the new recipes coming out this month, General Mills is now 75 percent of the way to completion. The goal is to complete this change for all General Mills Big G cereals by the end of 2017.