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Shreddies

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shreddies
Product typeBreakfast cereal
OwnerPost Consumer Brands
Produced by
  • Post Consumer (Canada)
  • Nestlé (UK, Ireland)
CountryCanada
Introduced1939; 85 years ago (1939)
Previous ownersNabisco
Websitepostbrands.com/shreddies

Shreddies are a breakfast cereal marketed in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. It was first produced in Canada in 1939 by Nabisco. The Shreddies brand is held by Post Consumer Brands in Canada, and Nestlé in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

History

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In Canada, production began in 1939 at Lewis Avenue, Niagara Falls, Ontario.[1] As of 2024, this plant was still in operation.[2]

Shreddies were produced under the Nabisco name until the brand in Canada was purchased in 1993 by Post Cereals,[3][4] whose parent company in 1995 became Kraft General Foods, which sold Post to Ralcorp in 2008 and is now Post Foods Canada Corp., a unit of Post Holdings, which was spun off from Ralcorp in 2012.[citation needed]

In the United Kingdom, the cereal was first produced by Nabisco's former UK division but was later made by Cereal Partners under the Nestlé brand at a factory in Welwyn Garden City. The factory opened in 1926 and began making Shreddies in 1953.[citation needed] The site was briefly owned by Rank Hovis McDougall in 1988, which sold it to Cereal Partners in 1990. Nestlé's site at Staverton, Wiltshire started making Shreddies in 1998, and all production was moved there in 2007.[5][6]

Content and manufacture

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In the UK, Shreddies consist mainly of whole grain wheat (96.2%), with sugar, invert sugar syrup, barley malt extract, molasses, and salt added for sweetness and flavour. Nutritional additives are iron, vitamin B3, B5, B9, B6, B2.[7]

Marketing

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In 2005, Shreddies were advertised as school fuel. The advertisements showed schoolchildren being focused on their work at school after eating a bowl of Shreddies for breakfast at home. This TV advertisement was ordered to be removed by the UK Advertising Standards Authority as it was held to provide an unfair comparison between school children eating Shreddies or eating nothing, rather than a similar cereal.[8]

In 2008, an award-winning advertising campaign in Canada was created by created Ogilvy and Mather, co-written by Tim Piper, for "Diamond Shreddies" .[9][10] The ad won the Grand Clio and Cannes awards.[11][12]

In January 2012, boxes of Shreddies dating from the early 1970s were reported to be selling on eBay, after being discovered in a village shop. They were reported to have been selling for about £160 per box.[13]

Recreating Shreddies featured as a challenge in Channel 4's Snackmasters programme in 2019, featuring chefs Daniel Clifford and Claude Bosi.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hutton, Richard (16 September 2014). "Little squares, big history". NiagaraThisWeek. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  2. ^ Spiteri, Ray. "Celebrating 85 years of Shreddies in Niagara Falls". Niagara Falls Review. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Cereal Sale to Net RJR Nabisco $350..." Los Angeles Times. 6 January 1993. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  4. ^ Shreddies original cereal on Post Consumer Brands
  5. ^ Blake, Morwenna (18 August 2006). "£40m expansion to create 100 new jobs". Wiltshire Times. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  6. ^ "MP enjoys Staverton cereal factory visit". Wiltshire Times. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  7. ^ "Shreddies". world.openfoodfacts.org. 11 March 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  8. ^ Serial complaints Archived 2008-08-29 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Diamond Shreddies integrated campaign". Communication Arts. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  10. ^ "D&AD Awards 2008 Pencil Winner". D&AD. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  11. ^ "Story". PIRO. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Diamond Shreddies, an unbelievable rebranding case study". Fameable. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  13. ^ Old Shreddies from the 1970s found in shop fetch £160 on eBay January 13, 2011 Metro News Retrieved January 28, 2012
  14. ^ Molia-White, Lidia. "Exclusive – Watch two Michelin-starred chefs attempt to make Shreddies in Snackmasters episode 3 clip". Radio Times. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
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