Do you think you know General Mills? Well, trust me. You don’t. The latest and greatest large companies are buying up smaller companies, and leaving the brand, without hooking that train to their wagon. You don’t know that Annies is owned by General Mills, right?
RIGHT CHEF!
One of the emails I just received (and yes, I have linked it for you to read, but please finish my blog first, then go to it) documents what’s really going on in the industry.
Small companies are being gobbled up by the giants. “General Mills CEO Ken Powell explained how the mega-corporation plans to grow the $600 million in annual natural and organic product sales into $1 billion by 2020”.
So General Mills now owns Annies, Larabar, and Muir Glen to name a few. This gets them into the specialty stores, which expands their profit margins.
Actually I’m good with that. As long as they don’t change the formula, add hydrogenated oil, or stop buying organic ingredients…. and you have to watch that, because they may be able to have just a few of the ingredients organic to label it organic, and may try to cut back and go GMO to save money…. well, let’s just hope they stay true to the original formula.
The way I found Annie’s is: I was trying to create a healthy dessert. Now I’m not big on desserts, because it’s a once in a while treat. I don’t need to learn how to tempt myself more.
But I like apples. I like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger… all the yummy spices in an apple pie. So I created a compote on the stove top. Apples and spices. Some lemon to pop the flavor. No. I didn’t use butter or any fat but I still created a yummy flavor. Then, I needed a crumble bottom and a sprinkling of something sweet on top, to trick your tastebuds into thinking it’s sugared enough.
I went to the store. Actually I went to three different stores. One by one, I noticed that all the graham crackers had hydrogenate oil, tons of sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Who didn’t? Annies.
Do I care if Annies is owned by General Mills? Only if the product changes. And I will have my eyes wide open and update you if something changes!
If you found this article of value, feel free to post it to your facebook or throughout your social media. Knowledge is power!
Here’s the link to the original article!
Happy Eating,
Chef Marian