Who Invented Honey Nut Cheerios

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They’re crispy, sweet, and their shape makes breakfast fun for millions of households every morning. Honey Nut Cheerios has been around since 1979 and is a product from the General Mills Company. The modern box of this product is actually a variation off of the original invention as General Mills eliminated actual almonds from the product, switching over to natural almond flavoring instead. It is the best-selling cereal right now in the United States and Buzz the Bee is one of the most identifiable characters on the market.

Who Gets the Credit For the Cheerios?

The invention of Cheerios is traced back to 1941 when General Mills introduced a cereal to the market called CherriOats. Quaker didn’t like the fact that the Oats where in the brand name of the product as they had a trademark and so 4 years later, the first box of Cherrios was born. Credit goes to a General Mills employee named Lester Borchadt for the first creation of this breakfast cereal.

For over 30 years, nothing was ever changed to Cherrios. Then, in 1976, the first new recipe alterations came in with the advent of Cinnamon Nut Cherrios. Filled with dietary fiber and vitamins, these cereals have been proven to help lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risks of heart disease, which adds to its popularity.

So why the switchover about a decade ago to a cereal that is made with natural flavoring instead of almonds? It’s the fact that it opens up the cereal to people who have tree nut allergies. Most of the extracts that are considered to be almond flavored on the marked today aren’t actually made from nuts at all, but are from peach or apricot pits. Cassia, which is a lot like cinnamon, is also commonly used.

What Else Has General Mills Invented?

A lot of the credit for the inventions that General Mills has introduced to the market belong to another man named Bob Zoss. With almost 40 years of experience, all at the company, Zoss holds five patents and 58 inventions that saved the company tens of millions of dollars over his career. Zoss researched how to reduce salt amounts in breakfast cereals, discovered how to put flavoring chips into frosting, and is the person responsible for that non-stick backing that you peel off of a Fruit Roll-Up.

At General Mills, you’ll also find a number of iconic brands that are part of the food history of the United States. Pillsbury, Green Giant, and even Hamburger Helper have all been apart of this history of this food producer. From sponsorships of the first commercial sports broadcast to the creation of the first singing radio commercial, General Mills has had a large influence on food habits around the world. Honey Nut Cheerios is just one way they’ve made this happen.

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