GENERAL MILLS BREAKS INTO BASEBALL SEASON
By Adnews Staff
Toronto-based General Mills Canada is gearing up for baseball fever. The company has put Blue Jays pitcher Roger Clemens on the box of its Maple Frosted Wheaties cereal. The boxes will be available later this week in Ontario and will roll out nationally by June. Maple Frosted Wheaties is being promoted using national in-store sampling. In addition, General Mills will sponsor Clemens chosen charity, K for Kids, which funds various youth programs. The company is also involved in a contest this week with the Toronto Sun and the Blue Jays. General Mills began putting baseball heroes on the boxes of its Wheaties cereal in 1934, when the box featured Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees. Originally, players would appear on the back of the box, but General Mills began putting them on the front of the box in 1964. Clemens is the first pitcher to be featured on the front of the box. Maple Frosted Wheaties was originally launched during the 1998 Winter Olympic Games and were made specifically for Canada. At that time, the box featured Olympic athletes such as members of the Canadian women's hockey team.