Consumerist
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specious
Kellogg Hints That Cocoa Krispies Will Save Your Kids From Swine Flu
Remember when the FDA was like, "Hey, General Mills, you've turned Cheerios into a drug?" This sort of reminds us of that. Now Kellogg is claiming on their new packaging that Cocoa Krispies will help your child's "IMMUNITY." More » -
$156 million
Sugariest Cereals For Kids Get Pimped Hardest
A new Yale report finds that cereal companies spent $156 million per year marketing to children, and most of that money gets plowed into pushing the sugariest cereals, which they try to pretend are healthy.
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relentless
Post Cereal, Please Stop Spamming Anthony
Anthony has tried every means possible to get Post to stop spamming him, but Post laughs in the face of reason. And at customer requests. The only thing Anthony feels he has left to try is contacting the FTC, but he adds "I get the feeling that won't help." More » -
know your berries
Alert: Crunchberries Are Not Real Berries
Late last month, a U.S. District Court judge dismissed a complaint filed by a woman who said she'd been buying Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries cereal for four years under the assumption that crunchberries are a real berry. "The plaintiff, Janine Sugawara, alleged that she had only recently learned to her dismay that said 'berries' were in fact simply brightly-colored cereal balls." More » -
strange
Bear Grylls Loves Post Trail Mix, When He Can't Grab A Handful Of Goat Balls And Spiders
-Let's get a real rough and tumble adventure guy to push our trail mix!
-Yeah, trail mix is all about roughing it! And being green! And nature!
-How about Bear Grylls?
-...isn't he the guy who eats bugs and testicles and rotten zebras on TV?
-That's why you're a junior account manager, Chuck. You don't think outside the box. More » -
kellogg
Kellogg's Brand Reputation Takes A Hit After Dumping Phelps?
Supposedly, Kellogg's "brand reputation" is in the gutter after canning Phelps over the pot photo, slipping from #9 to #83 in a list of 5,600 companies. We'd believe it more if this "reputation index" chart from Vanno, a brand index company, didn't look like someone was given PowerPoint and 3 minutes and told to produce some convincing evidence for a press release. More » -
target
Is Target Intentionally Using Its "Special Deals" To Screw Over Customers?
Dan can do math in his head, which is a great skill these days when you're checking out the n objects for x price! specials at Target. In this case, Dan notes that the "temporary price cut" is so temporary that it doesn't even exist: you'll pay 13 cents more per box if you buy three of them. This is the third Target "special" we've seen this month that screws the consumer. Are we seeing a new trend? Is it legal to call it a price cut if it's not?
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grocery shrink ray
Grocery Shrink Ray Hits Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and Honey Smacks
Kellogg has confirmed that the much-feared grocery shrink ray has now focused its malevolent beam on Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and Honey Smacks. Boxes were shrunk by an average of 2.4 ounces. More » -
recalls
Malt-O-Meal, Puffed Rice Cereal Recalled For Salmonella
The FDA says that recently recalled Malt-O-Meal and Puffed Rice cereals (including some store brands) may be connected to 23 salmonella illnesses in 14 states. More » -
unacceptable food
This Rodent Skull Does Not Belong In Nutty Cranberry Maple Granola
Sabrina bit into a rodent skull and cut her gums while eating a bowl of cereal. The 100% natural, premium gourmet nutty cranberry maple granola she was trying to enjoy was purchased at a Hannaford in Maine and manufactured by Bakery on Main. Aside from selling the rodent skull, both Hannaford and Bakery on Main are handling the situation well.
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stupid shipping gang
Amazon Uses Cereal As Packing Material
I've been reading your stories about odd or wasteful pack-jobs from different retailers, and lo and behold I came across one of my own tonight. My husband ordered a few DVDs from Amazon.com for my valentine's day gift, and when I opened the box, I realized that they had added some strange ballast.
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advertising
Healthy Cereal Commercial Or Metaphorical Poop Fest?
A commercial for Kellogg's All-Bran seems to have gone back to the source and adopted the crazy butt-obsessed attitude of the company's forefather, because as the actor talks in the foreground about how great his cereal makes him feel, in the background you can see several over-the-top metaphors for... well, let's just say "pulling an I-beam out of my wall" is going to take on a whole new meaning. And in case it's not explicit enough, wait for the tag line. More » -
trix are for kids
FTC Subpoenas 44 Food Companies That Target Kids
The FTC has issued subpoenas to 44 food and beverage companies that market to kids, including Burger King, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Kraft. The companies are being called on to disclose how much they spend on their marketing campaigns to kids, as well as "specific information about their marketing practices," by November 1st of this year. More » -
trix
Cereal Makers Target Kids, Evade Junk Food Advertising Ban
Crafty cereal makers may weasel out of their promise to stop advertising junk food to audiences under 12 by fudging serving size information. Eleven cereal makers last week set the threshold for products advertised to children at 12 grams of sugar per serving. According to the New York Times' original coverage, many cereal makers are already "trying to reformulate the foods to meet nutritional guidelines." Why reformulate when you can change the labels? More » -
polls
Should We Unilaterally Ban Junk Food Advertising Targetting Children?
The New York Times reports that eleven huge food companies, in the face of regulatory intervention, lawsuits, and a forthcoming government study on childhood obesity, agreed to voluntarily withdraw junk food advertising from children's TV shows targeted at an under-12 audience.
But does it go far enough? TV is just one component of the advertising spectrum, and the industry's move won't apply to "family"-type shows.
Maybe we should treat treat junk food ads like cigarette ads...
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recalls
Choking Concerns Prompt Gerber To Recall Organic Rice And Oatmeal Cereals
Watch out parents, your babies might choke if you feed them Gerber organic rice or oatmeal cereals. The cereals may contain lumps that won't dissolve in either milk or water. From Gerber:
- "Gerber has received choking complaints, but no reports of injury. The FDA is aware of this recall."
475,000 affected 8 ounce cereal boxes were sold nationwide. Any organic rice with UPC codes 15000 and 12504, or organic oatmeal with the UPC codes 15000 and 12502 are part of the recall; the UPC codes are on the bottom right side of the boxes. Customers can return the cereals and receive a refund by calling Gerber at (800) 443-7237 or (231) 928-3000.Gerber Recalls Cereals [AP]
Gerber Announces Nationwide Voluntary Recall of Gerber ORGANIC RiceTM and Gerber ORGANIC OatmealTM 8 Ounce Cereals Due to a Potential Choking Hazard (PDF) [Gerber Products Company] -
posthumous recognition
Guy On Cream Of Wheat Box Receives Recognition 69 Years After His Death
A campaign to etch Frank L. White's face and name onto his gravestone has succeeded. White is better known as the smiling chef on the Cream of Wheat box. White, who died in 1938, had only a "tiny concrete marker with no name" for a headstone, until now. More »
cereal
We don't recommend keeping your savings in your pantry, but in case you were wondering, here's how much money you can fit into an Apple Jacks box. [
New York, 8:29 AM
Mon Nov 9
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