Comparison and Contrast of Kellogg and General Mills
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Southern New Hampshire University *
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Course
OL-645
Subject
Health Science
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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docx
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3
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Introduction
Consumer concerns about health issues, mainly obesity, led the breakfast cereal industry
in the United States and Europe to review and improve the nutritional value of their products.
The case study examines how General Mills and Kellogg respond to the expanding health trends.
The following paragraphs will compare the two case studies "General Mills-Marketing Whole
Grain Cereals and Kellogg's Developing New Strategies to Promote Healthier Food Lines" by
Datamonitor. It was up to the two executives to decide how to adapt to the shifting market trends.
Kellogg is a leading American manufacturer of cereals and other ready-to-eat food items.
Kellogg's Corn Flakes was one of the first and is still one of the most consumed breakfast
cereals. Kellogg is in Michigan's Battle Creek. On the other hand, General Mills has a history of
breaking ground, leading by example, and caring for the environment. They have been
developing, inventing, serving, and connecting for over 150 years while having fun. The story of
General Mills is about people, passion, and purpose. It began with a single flour mill and has
grown to over 100 brands in 100 countries.
Ethical and Legal Risks: Strengths
Both companies remain competitive by shifting to the market trend of healthier breakfast
cereal. Although their approaches differed, they entered a new era of more nutritional products
with food labels. Press reports about the rising obesity problem in the United States are one
reason Americans are becoming more interested in health, especially whole grains. It has been
suggested that whole grains lower the risk of obesity and the illnesses that are brought on by
being overweight, such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
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The largest cereal manufacturer in the United States, Kellogg's, has introduced whole
grain versions of some of its cereal brands, like Tiger Power from Frosties, but these are sold in
addition to the non-whole grain versions. General Mills took a proactive approach to encourage
more Americans to eat whole grains. Rather than introducing healthier brand extensions, General
Mills switched to whole grains for its entire cereal range. No other significant U.S. cereal
manufacturer has converted all its grains like General Mills. General Mill promoted how its
cereals adhered to the new food guide pyramid shortly after the U.S. Department of Health
published it in a press release. They sold the idea of the updated USDA food guide pyramid.
General Mills was looking forward to the future and trying to keep a competitive advantage in
the shifting market to a healthier lifestyle.
Ethical and Legal Risks: Weaknesses
Due to its marketing of its products to children, which some claim contain excessive
amounts of fat, sugar, and salt, Kellogg's has become unpopular. In response, the company is
expanding the variety of nutritious kids' cereals, especially those that are vitamin and mineral-
fortified. Kellogg's created several effective marketing strategies to enhance its reputation for
health. The Special K Brand sales have increased thanks to the two-week challenge diet plan.
The company started implementing new nutrition labeling, contributing to Kellogg's
conscientious business reputation.
When presented with two obvious options for a course of action, we frequently consider
only those two options, failing to consider the possibility of other options. Making responsible
decisions would necessitate self-control to consider other options. This is what we call moral
imagination in action. Kellogg’s presented moral imagination in its Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR), leading to its lawsuit in 2006.
Kellogg's has been in the news for
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continuing to sell children high-sugar cereals, especially during kids' TV shows. A U.S.
consumer advocacy group called the Center for Science in the Public Interest sued Kellogg's and
Viacom in 2006, alleging the two businesses were directly endangering children's health by
selling them products that were nearly devoid of nutrients and high in sugar, salt, and saturated
and trans-fat. Kellogg's filing brought negative attention to the company. It could have damaged
the business's reputation (Hartman, Desjardin, & MacDonald, 2021, p. 49).
Concerned with
society's interests that ought to constrain or limit business behavior is corporate social
responsibility. A business has a social responsibility to act in the best interests of society, even if
doing so has financial costs(Hartman, Desjardin, & MacDonald, 2021, p. 146). However, this
remains to be a weakness of Kellogg. They continue to move forward with marketing their
products and using the Guideline Daily Allowance (GDA) of sugar, fat, and salt contained in a
product in their labeling nutritional values.
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