General Mills Announces Product Lineup In The Queue For The New Year

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, General Mills announced its newest lineup of products poised to drive growth for the company. Beginning in January, the company will launch more than 50 new products that meet increasing consumer demand for better-for-you snacks, products with simple ingredients, protein, gluten-free and bold flavors.

"We're putting our consumers at the center of our new product innovation by rapidly addressing evolving food trends and investing in areas that our consumers value, including added protein, gluten-free, and products made with simple ingredients," said Jeff Harmening, executive vice president and chief operating officer, U.S. Retail. "I'm very excited about the quality of our new products. We've deeply engaged with our consumers and we're creating foods that meet their needs."

A slideshow and additional information on the newest General Mills products is available on the company's blog, A Taste of General Mills.

The newest products, which include Cheerios + Ancient Grains, French Toast Crunch, Yoplait Greek 100 Whips!, Nature ValleyNut Crisps, Food Should Taste Good Real Good Bars, and Old El Paso Restaurante kits build on the more than 150 on-trend new products introduced in July, which include stand outs such as Cheerios Protein, Old El Paso Nacho Blasted Taco Shells, andFiber One cookies. General Mills will be adding more than 50 new items in the U.S. and globally in the second half of the company's fiscal year 2015.

Bringing more to Breakfast
Gluten-free, ancient grains, protein, and the return of a consumer favorite are just some of the ways General Mills is innovating in the cereal category. In January, look for:

• Cheerios + Ancient Grains – Made with toasted "O's," crunchy oat & quinoa clusters, puffed spelt and KAMUT^® wheat,Cheerios is the first to bring ancient grains to the mainstream cereal aisle.
• French Toast Crunch – Back by popular demand, consumer-favorite French Toast Crunch returns, complete with the mini French toast-shaped pieces flavored with cinnamon and syrup.
• Chex Gluten Free Granola Mix – Chex brings yet another family favorite to the homes of gluten-free eaters with new Chex Gluten Free Granola Mix. Available in two varieties: Honey Nut and Mixed Berry Almond.
• Nature Valley Protein Oatmeal – Perfect for eating on-the-go, Nature Valley Protein Oatmeal is packaged in microwavable cups and provides 10 grams of protein in each serving. Available in two flavors – Mixed Berry Crunch and Cranberry Apple Crunch – each cup includes whole grain oats, real fruit pieces and a crunchy granola topping.

Better-for-you snacking
As the lines between snacks and meals continue to blur, consumers are looking for better-for-you snacks that also taste great. General Mills has a delicious line-up of new better-for-you snacking bars with simple ingredients. The company is also introducing an entirely new whipped-style Greek yogurt. New snacks include:

• Nature Valley Nut Crisps – Combining simple, wholesome ingredients including nuts and seeds, new Nature Valley Nut Crisps provide a crispy crunch with sweet and salty flavor in each bite. Available in Salted Caramel Peanut and Almond Dark Chocolate.
• Food Should Taste Good Real Good Bar – This gluten-free snack bar features the brand's signature culinary creativity with layers of unexpected flavor and delicious whole nuts, seeds and real fruit pieces.
• LÄRABAR über Crunchy Nut Bar – LÄRABAR über is bringing more crunch and bigger flavor by adding more whole nuts and bigger dark chocolate chunks to its line of gluten free snack bars. The brand is also introducing a new flavor: Dark Chocolate Raspberry.
• Yoplait Greek 100 Whips! –Yoplait's Greek 100 Whips! is a Greek yogurt mousse with 9 grams of protein per serving in a light and airy whipped texture. Available in eight delicious flavors, including Black Cherry, Strawberry, Strawberry Cheesecake, Vanilla Cupcake, Blueberry, Raspberry, Lemon Meringue and Tropical.

Convenient meals and global flavors
To meet consumer desire for flavor and quality, General Mills is introducing these convenient meal items from brand favorites:

• Totino's Bold Pizza Rolls– Totino's Bold Pizza Rolls now have a crispier crust that's also blasted with unforgettable flavor seasonings like Ranch and Cheddar.
• Old El Paso Restaurante – Bringing Mexican restaurant quality and flavors home, new Old El Paso Restaurante soft shell taco kits are available in three chef-inspired flavors: Beef Carne Asada, Chipotle Chicken and Baja Fish.
• Parampara Spice Mix (Australia) – For the first time, Parampara ready-to-cook spice mixes will be available at retail stores across Australia. Parampara's new spice mixes come in four authentic Indian flavors: Rogan Josh, Shahi Korma, Butter Chicken and Biryani.

Room for indulgence
As more people turn to snacks with indulgent flavors, General Mills offers a variety of treats to satisfy cravings throughout the day.

• Pillsbury Minis – Available exclusively in convenience stores, Pillsbury introduces new Pillsbury Mini bakery snacks. Each product includes four mini treats for delicious, on-the-go eating in four bakery favorites: Cinnamon Rolls, Blueberry Muffins with Streusel, Chocolate Chip Muffins and Cinnamon Crumb Cake.
• Pillsbury Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies – In line with consumers' love for all things mint-flavored, Pillsbury introduces limited edition, ready-to-bake Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies.
• Häagen-Dazs (China) – The super-premium Häagen-Dazs ice cream brand introduces six café beverages in specialty shops inspired by illy coffee roasters. Flavors include: Vanilla, Strawberry, Green Tea, Chocolate, Macadamia Nut and Coffee.
• Fiber One Protein Cookies & Cream – Delicious taste and guilt-free snacking merge with the new Fiber One ProteinCookies & Cream bar with six grams of protein and 20 percent of the Daily Value of fiber.

General Mills executives will discuss the company's innovation plans for the second-half of fiscal 2015 during the second-quarter earnings report on Dec. 17. A webcast of the company's earnings presentation will be available onwww.GeneralMills.com/Investors.

About General Mills
General Mills is one of the world's leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries around the world. Its brands include Cheerios, Fiber One, Häagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., USA, General Mills had fiscal 2014 worldwide sales of US $17.9 billion.