Heart-Shaped Cheerios Return With Personalized Touch
Cheerios is bringing back its beloved Happy Heart Shapes in honor of American Heart Month with a fun new twist. To celebrate five years of Happy Heart Shapes and the role Cheerios can play in supporting Americans who want to live a heart-healthy lifestyle, Cheerios is launching special-edition boxes featuring names of those who inspire you to make heart healthy choices.
In addition to special-edition boxes with names such as Mom, Friend, Grandparents and Family in both English and Spanish available at retailers nationwide throughout February, consumers can also order personalized yellow boxes online featuring any name (within 18 characters) at Cheerios.com.
With more than 100 million Americans having some form of heart disease, Cheerios understands how important heart health is. When people see Grandma, Abuelo, Bestie, Dad, and the names of other loved ones on the cover of their box, they will be reminded to take care of their heart not only for themselves, but for those people who mean the most to them. The name boxes are a great way to remind people that apart from the convenience and great taste, Cheerios are made with whole grain oats, which can help lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet.
“From being there to cheer on your kids’ activities to laughs across the breakfast table – these are the moments with loved ones that remind us why it’s worth saying, ‘Yes’ to taking care of our heart health,” said Kathy Dixon, senior brand experience manager for Cheerios. “This year, the special-edition Cheerios name boxes and Happy Heart Shapes are a simple reminder for people to take care of their heart so they can be there for all of life’s special moments.”
Special-edition boxes will be available at retailers nationwide in five delicious flavors: Original yellow-box Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Chocolate, Strawberry Banana and Apple Cinnamon. Learn more here.
General Mills makes food the world loves. The company is guided by its Accelerate strategy to drive shareholder value by boldly building its brands, relentlessly innovating, unleashing its scale and standing for good. Its portfolio of beloved brands includes household names such as Cheerios, Nature Valley, Blue Buffalo, Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Totino’s, Annie’s, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, General Mills generated fiscal 2023 net sales of $20.1 billion. In addition, the company’s share of non-consolidated joint venture net sales totaled $1 billion.
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Southern Recipe Small Batch Launches Sweet BBQ Pork Rinds
Southern Recipe Small Batch, the leading authentic, handcrafted, small batch pork rind snack brand, recently announced its newest product launch, bringing a sweet and saucy new flavor to the snack food aisle: Sweet BBQ Pork Rinds. The new variety will be available in Kroger stores nationwide in late February at an SRP of $3.99 for each four-ounce bag. This new flavor is a direct response to consumer interest, and is a trending flavor for snack food, overall.
According to Flavor & the Menu magazine, “American barbecue has never showcased more flavor diversity and appeal than it does right now. Across the country, chefs are putting their own spins on the classics while also introducing consumers to the country’s wide array of on-trend regional variations.” As a result, consumers are driving demand for their beloved BBQ flavor in sweet variations in the snack food aisle as well.
“BBQ flavoring for snack foods is as traditional as it gets,” shares Mark Singleton, VP of sales and marketing at Rudolph Foods. “Especially when it comes to pork rinds, consumers just love the combination of BBQ and that bacony flavor they can find only in a pork rind. And because sweet BBQ is a trending flavor right now, we believe this is a flavor made in hog heaven.”
Southern Recipe Small Batch’s newest addition to its branded line of products are a true testament to innovation in nostalgic snacks and flavors. The new Sweet BBQ variety allows the brand to diversify its current offering and speak to the conversations with shoppers specifically requesting this culinary flavor. The brand is excited to once again help fans renew their love for pork rinds, and to become a new favorite for snack food lovers everywhere.
Southern Recipe Small Batch, a division of Southern Recipe – “The tastiest crunch in the South” – is a small batch, handcrafted brand of pork rinds. Developed with the purpose of delivering iconic flavors in a nostalgic recipe, Southern Recipe Small Batch offers this traditionally indulgent Southern snack in internationally-inspired flavors that boasts up to eight grams of protein, up to seven grams of collagen, low carbs and naturally gluten free. For additional information, please call 1-800-241-7675, or visit SouthernRecipeSmallBatch.com.
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Partnership Creates AC Barbeque Lifestyle Brand on Campus
Sodexo, a leader in foodservice for campuses across North America, SodexoMagic, a joint venture between Magic Johnson Enterprises and Sodexo, Inc., and Jackson State University, a public historically black research university in Jackson, Miss., have partnered with Virtual Dining Concepts, the industry leader in the virtual dining space, to launch AC Barbeque on campus in Spring 2024. AC Barbeque is a new BBQ lifestyle brand created by friends, comedians and grilling enthusiasts, Anthony Anderson and Cedric The Entertainer.
“Students want fun, convenient, and unique food offers that enhance their feeling of belonging on campus. With that in mind, our partnership with Virtual Dining Concepts has allowed us to bring AC Barbeque to the Jackson State University campus,” said Raz Barnwell, vice president of digital innovation, Sodexo. “This community focused brand is an ideal fit for the campus and is an elevated dining experience made possible through our innovative partnerships.”
When Sodexo, SodexoMagic, and Virtual Dining Concepts offer AC Barbeque on campus in Spring 2024, students will be able to order their favorite dishes on the Sodexo Everyday app.
“We are very excited to team up with Virtual Dining Concepts and SodexoMagic to introduce our first AC Barbeque restaurant at the historic Jackson State University campus,” said Cedric The Entertainer and Anthony Anderson. “Our food is rooted in culture and fueled by community, and we couldn’t be more proud to bring that here to Jackson State. See y’all for a bite in Spring 2024! J.S.U. Thee I Love!!”
AC Barbeque is a new BBQ lifestyle brand created by beloved comedians and grilling enthusiasts, Anthony Anderson and Cedric The Entertainer. Founded on the principles of Black excellence, family tradition, and bringing people together, AC Barbeque aims to provide the tools, flavor, and community that’ll take grilling to the next level. When you need to up your BBQ game, just look to the AC Flame. Learn more at http://www.acbarbeque.com and follow @acbarbeque on Instagram.
Virtual Dining Concepts is the creator of virtual restaurant brands poised to expand the revenue of independent kitchens. The delivery-only infrastructure, exclusive online platform (with third-party delivery interface), and marketing strategy services guide existing restaurant operators from set-up to inception. Virtual Dining Concepts offers celebrity and non-celebrity backed brands with menus deriving from diverse cuisines.
Menus are available for order online through their individual websites, proprietary apps, and most major third-party delivery services. VDC is proud to launch its most recent brand, AC Barbeque, which is poised for national expansion.
Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 53 countries. Sodexo specializes in sustainable food and valued experiences at every moment in life: learn, work, heal and play. The company employs 94,000 people at thousands of sites in all 50 U.S. states, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam, and indirectly supports more than 100,000 additional jobs through its annual purchases of $20B in goods and services from small to large businesses. Routinely recognized for the organization’s commitments to sustainability as well as diversity, equity and inclusion, Sodexo North America’s purpose is to create a better everyday for everyone to build a better life for all.
SodexoMagic is a joint venture between Sodexo and Magic Johnson Enterprises that provides food and facilities management services to corporate, education, healthcare, and government clients. SodexoMagic is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion and has a proven track record of delivering high-quality services to its clients.
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