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USA Today
29-04-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Nationwide boycott targeted General Mills: Why consumers took action
Hear this story Consumers nationwide took part in a week-long boycott of General Mills last week, taking aim at the massive company that organizers say represents everything wrong with the corporate grip on the nation's food system. The seven-day spending freeze was organized by the People's Union USA and led by John Schwarz. Schwarz, in an Instagram post, cited what he claims is General Mills' purported toxic ingredients, alleged price gouging during inflation, avoiding of fair taxes and its allegedly store-wide domination of mass-produced, low-nutrition products. Here's what to know about the General Mills boycott, including what products were included. When is the General Mills boycott? The General Mills boycott began April 21 and ended at midnight on Monday, April 28. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Consumers and economic blackouts: Shoppers continue business boycotts as Target takes the biggest hit What is the General Mills boycott? Why are people boycotting General Mills? The People's Union USA is calling for a national boycott of the corporate giant's continued efforts to "profit off the backs of American families while doing absolutely nothing to reinvest into the communities it profits from." Schwarz, in an Instagram video, called out the companies' alleged efforts to churn out "ultra-processed garbage" and "sugary poison," spending millions to lobby against GMO transparency and better food labeling to keep Americans blind to what they are eating. What items are on the General Mills boycott list? Here's a list of General Mills products General Mills is a manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods and pet food products that include cereal, prepared and frozen foods, soup, snacks, yogurt, baking products, pet food and ice cream. Several brands fall under the umbrella of General Mills: Cereals: Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, Count Chocula, Golden Grahams, Kix, Lucky Charms, Raisin Nut Bran, Reese's Puffs, Total, Trix and Wheaties Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, Count Chocula, Golden Grahams, Kix, Lucky Charms, Raisin Nut Bran, Reese's Puffs, Total, Trix and Wheaties Baking: Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Gold Medal, Bisquick, Autumn's Gold Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Gold Medal, Bisquick, Autumn's Gold Snacks: Nature Valley, Annie's (organic snacks), EPIC, Larabar, Chex Mix, Dunkaroos, Fiber One, Gardetto's Nature Valley, Annie's (organic snacks), EPIC, Larabar, Chex Mix, Dunkaroos, Fiber One, Gardetto's Yogurt: Yoplait, Oui, :ratio Yoplait, Oui, :ratio Ice Cream: Häagen-Dazs Häagen-Dazs Pet Food: Blue Buffalo Blue Buffalo Other Brands: Annie's (organic), Old El Paso, Totino's, Muir Glen (organic), Progresso (soups) Do boycotts work? Do economic blackouts work? The results from boycotts are often mixed, but professors told USA TODAY that it can be a successful tactic to shame a company into reversing decisions or taking action. In 2023, conservative activists staged boycotts of Target's Pride Month displays, leading the store to move its Pride displays to the back of stores. Last year, the retailer opted to scale back on its Pride collection, with many stores choosing not to carry it. Bud Light, owned by beer giant Anheuser-Busch, suffered plummeting sales following backlash in 2023 over a social media campaign with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. While difficult to gauge, data from the first economic blackout on Feb. 28 suggests there was "some potential impact" on sales for larger retailers, including Target, Walmart and Amazon, according to a USA TODAY report. Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Britons have gone off breakfast cereal, says Shreddies maker
Britons are going off breakfast cereal in favour of protein-heavy morning meals, leaving the maker of Shreddies and Cheerios poised to axe 300 jobs because of the demand slump. Cereal Partners UK & Ireland, which also makes Cookie Crisp and Nesquik, has put forward proposals to shut a major factory in Merseyside, moving production of breakfast brands to a different factory in Staverton, Wiltshire. At the same time, it said it will stop producing own-label cereals for supermarkets. A spokesman for the company blamed the decision on a 'significant decline owing to the changing habits of UK and Irish consumers and greater competition from alternative breakfast options'. It comes after volume sales of Shreddies in UK supermarkets fell by 15.8pc last year, while those of Cheerios suffered a 4.1pc drop, according to data firm NIQ published in The Grocer magazine. Combined, the UK's top ten cereal brands sold 10.1m kg less over the year to Sept 7. Though ready-to-eat breakfast cereal is still a £1.2bn market, according to Kantar, demand for traditional breakfast cereals has been dented by negative perceptions around health and the rising popularity of more protein-heavy breakfast options. Jonny Bingham, co-founder of food development company Bingham & Jones, said: 'It's perceived as not being healthy and not terribly filling. There's been a lot of press over the last ten years about breakfast cereal and how much sugar is in them. 'It almost feels like parents have a guilt complex when it comes to getting cereal and sticking it in the cupboard.' He said this was despite widespread industry efforts to reduce salt and sugar in products over recent years. 'There's no doubt whatsoever that most of those cereals have moved heaven and hell just to try and make it as healthy as they possibly can.' He added that more people were skipping breakfast altogether as a method of controlling their weight with so-called intermittent fasting, while others were gravitating towards more protein-heavy breakfast options. 'More and more stuff that we are developing for [customers] for early morning is all about being protein-rich or protein-heavy.' While the closure of Cereal Partners' Merseyside factory could see up to 314 jobs cut, the company said it planned to spend £74m on expanding the Wiltshire factory and 60 new jobs. The spokesman added: 'CPUK&I regrets the potential impact on employees and the immediate priority is to work together to review the proposals while supporting people through this process with care and sensitivity.' They said the company was open to 'alternative solutions' such as a sale of the facility or a spin-off of its supermarket own-label business if a buyer could be found for it. News of the proposed closure was met with outrage from unions representing the factory's staff. Matt Denton, the regional organiser for trade union GMB, said: 'For three decades, CPUK has been at the heart of this community, providing good jobs and supporting countless businesses. Three hundred skilled workers facing an uncertain future is simply unacceptable. 'We demand urgent talks with management and call on the company to engage with us to make sure workers' voices are heard, and livelihoods are prioritised.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
20-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Britons have gone off breakfast cereal, says Shreddies maker
Britons are going off breakfast cereal in favour of protein-heavy morning meals, leaving the maker of Shreddies and Cheerios poised to axe 300 jobs because of the demand slump. Cereal Partners UK & Ireland, which also makes Cookie Crisp and Nesquik, has put forward proposals to shut a major factory in Merseyside, moving production of breakfast brands to a different factory in Staverton, Wiltshire. At the same time, it said it will stop producing own-label cereals for supermarkets. A spokesman for the company blamed the decision on a 'significant decline owing to the changing habits of UK and Irish consumers and greater competition from alternative breakfast options'. It comes after volume sales of Shreddies in UK supermarkets fell by 15.8pc last year, while those of Cheerios suffered a 4.1pc drop, according to data firm NIQ published in The Grocer magazine. Combined, the UK's top ten cereal brands sold 10.1m kg less over the year to Sept 7. Though ready-to-eat breakfast cereal is still a £1.2bn market, according to Kantar, demand for traditional breakfast cereals has been dented by negative perceptions around health and the rising popularity of more protein-heavy breakfas t options. Jonny Bingham, co-founder of food development company Bingham & Jones, said: 'It's perceived as not being healthy and not terribly filling. There's been a lot of press over the last ten years about breakfast cereal and how much sugar is in them. 'It almost feels like parents have a guilt complex when it comes to getting cereal and sticking it in the cupboard.' He said this was despite widespread industry efforts to reduce salt and sugar in products over recent years. 'There's no doubt whatsoever that most of those cereals have moved heaven and hell just to try and make it as healthy as they possibly can.' He added that more people were skipping breakfast altogether as a method of controlling their weight with so-called intermittent fasting, while others were gravitating towards more protein-heavy breakfast options. 'More and more stuff that we are developing for [customers] for early morning is all about being protein-rich or protein-heavy.' While the closure of Cereal Partners' Merseyside factory could see up to 314 jobs cut, the company said it planned to spend £74m on expanding the Wiltshire factory and 60 new jobs. The spokesman added: 'CPUK&I regrets the potential impact on employees and the immediate priority is to work together to review the proposals while supporting people through this process with care and sensitivity.' They said the company was open to 'alternative solutions' such as a sale of the facility or a spin-off of its supermarket own-label business if a buyer could be found for it. News of the proposed closure was met with outrage from unions representing the factory's staff. Matt Denton, the regional organiser for trade union GMB, said: 'For three decades, CPUK has been at the heart of this community, providing good jobs and supporting countless businesses. Three hundred skilled workers facing an uncertain future is simply unacceptable. 'We demand urgent talks with management and call on the company to engage with us to make sure workers' voices are heard, and livelihoods are prioritised.'
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
More than 300 jobs at risk as Cheerios maker plans to shut Merseyside factory
The maker of Cheerios and Shreddies has unveiled plans to shut a factory in Merseyside which would put more than 300 jobs at risk of redundancy, as it warned over declining demand for breakfast cereal. Cereal Partners UK and Ireland (CPUK&I) said it wants to move production of branded cereals from the Bromborough site to its factory in Staverton, Wiltshire. Under the proposals, it will also stop making supermarket-own cereals and only produce branded products. Sales of breakfast cereal are in 'significant decline owing to the changing habits of UK and Irish consumers and greater competition from alternative breakfast options', a spokesman for Cereal Partners said. The company, which is also behind well-known brands such as Golden Nuggets and Cookie Crisp, said it was talking to employees about the plans which would put 314 roles at risk of redundancy. The changes would also involve £74 million being invested to expand the Staverton factory's capability and create around 60 new roles. The spokesman said: 'CPUK&I regrets the potential impact on employees and the immediate priority is to work together to review the proposals while supporting people through this process with care and sensitivity. 'CPUK&I remains open to alternative solutions, including a potential sale of the Bromborough site and/or the supermarket branded cereal manufacturing itself.' It added that there would not be any further updates on the proposals until discussions with staff were complete. Matt Denton, regional organiser for trade union GMB, said: 'For three decades, CPUK has been at the heart of this community, providing good jobs and supporting countless businesses. 'Three hundred skilled workers facing an uncertain future is simply unacceptable. 'GMB will fight to protect jobs, secure fair treatment for workers and explore all potential options to mitigate the impact of this closure. 'We demand urgent talks with management and call on the company to engage with us to make sure workers' voices are heard, and livelihoods are prioritised.'
The Independent
19-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
More than 300 jobs at risk as Cheerios maker plans to shut Merseyside factory
The maker of Cheerios and Shreddies has unveiled plans to shut a factory in Merseyside which would put more than 300 jobs at risk of redundancy, as it warned over declining demand for breakfast cereal. Cereal Partners UK and Ireland (CPUK&I) said it wants to move production of branded cereals from the Bromborough site to its factory in Staverton, Wiltshire. Under the proposals, it will also stop making supermarket-own cereals and only produce branded products. Sales of breakfast cereal are in 'significant decline owing to the changing habits of UK and Irish consumers and greater competition from alternative breakfast options', a spokesman for Cereal Partners said. The company, which is also behind well-known brands such as Golden Nuggets and Cookie Crisp, said it was talking to employees about the plans which would put 314 roles at risk of redundancy. The changes would also involve £74 million being invested to expand the Staverton factory's capability and create around 60 new roles. The spokesman said: 'CPUK&I regrets the potential impact on employees and the immediate priority is to work together to review the proposals while supporting people through this process with care and sensitivity. 'CPUK&I remains open to alternative solutions, including a potential sale of the Bromborough site and/or the supermarket branded cereal manufacturing itself.' It added that there would not be any further updates on the proposals until discussions with staff were complete. Matt Denton, regional organiser for trade union GMB, said: 'For three decades, CPUK has been at the heart of this community, providing good jobs and supporting countless businesses. 'Three hundred skilled workers facing an uncertain future is simply unacceptable. 'GMB will fight to protect jobs, secure fair treatment for workers and explore all potential options to mitigate the impact of this closure. 'We demand urgent talks with management and call on the company to engage with us to make sure workers' voices are heard, and livelihoods are prioritised.'
