Consumer Trends Drive Debut of New General Mills Products

Consumer-driven trends in food – particularly wellness, convenience, and snacking – guided General Mills in the development of its latest line-up of products set to be released this summer around the world, the Minneapolis, MN-based corporation announced July 12.

“We’re in a period of very rapid change in the food industry. And consumers are very clear about what they want – simple ingredient lists, free from artificial colors and flavors, free from gluten, less sugar, less sodium, more convenience. This translates into a clear set of growth opportunities for us,” General Mills’ chairman and chief executive officer Ken Powell said in a press release.

To take advantage of the growth opportunities presented by changing consumer demands, General Mills said it has changed its approach to product innovation.

“In order to support the growth we’ve planned, we have moved toward a more entrepreneurial approach to new product development, which not only speeds innovation, but helps us put our consumers first and deliver exciting, relevant new products that meet consumer need and drive topline growth,” said Peter Erickson, executive vice president of innovation, technology and quality at General Mills, in the release.

The company uses what it calls “lemonade stands,” where General Mills sets up tables at places like farmers’ markets fitness centers, grocery stores or cooking schools to interact with the public and test new product concepts. General Mills said that in “many cases” it has cut the time it takes to introduce a new product into market from about 24 months to less than a year.

Food products that increase wellness was a major consumer trend identified by General Mills, in addition to a desire for simple ingredient lists and higher nutritional value of ingredients.

General Mills is introducing five products this summer that attempt to cater to these these needs, including:

The company is also introducing four products that offer “mealtime shortcut” convenience as many consumers are shifting toward eating snack foods with meals or as a meal replacement. General Mills will debut four snack food products with healthier ingredients with the thought that consumers will consume more of a certain snack food product if its ingredients are more wholesome.