Bloomberg News
30 June, 2004

General Mills Inc., the second-largest U.S. cereal maker, may pull low-carbohydrate Total Protein cereal from supermarkets because it's losing sales to newer products such as Kellogg Company's Special K Low Carb, analysts said.

Discontinuing Total Protein, introduced in February, may cost Golden Valley-based General Mills more than $20 million, George Askew, a Baltimore-based Legg Mason Inc. analyst, wrote in a report. General Mills also may position the cereal as a "health-oriented brand" and narrow distribution to fewer retailers, Askew wrote.

Foodmakers such as General Mills, Kellogg and Kraft Foods Inc. are debuting products with fewer carbohydrates to attract health-conscious shoppers even as demand may be peaking, analysts and investors said. The increasing range of products is squeezing sales of Total Protein, which has half the U.S. market share of Kellogg's Special K Low Carb.

"If the craze has faded and they aren't able to make money on it, they may withdraw it," said Nancy Crouse, who helps manage $100 billion, including about 2.2 million General Mills shares, at Delaware Investments in Philadelphia. She predicted that General Mills will give Total Protein a year to gain consumer loyalty before making a decision.


http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/4853387.html

Has it occured to those "idiots" that making carbage "lower carb" will not sell it to LCers? I can't imagine that a grain cereal would be what WE'd call 'low carb'. And it's just crispy air anyway. Bring on the steak!

Or perhaps it just tastes like crap and is expensive crap to boot?

Well...the Total Low Carb is no higher in carbs than the better selling Special K low carb (9 grams per serving). There are some differences, though. The Special K does not have partially hydrogenated oils in it (Total does) and the Total also has nuts in it (something that my DH is violently allergic to) while the Special K does not. I don't eat this cereal, but my DH who is low carbing at a higher level than I do loves the low carb Special K. Not that this is saying much because breakfast cereal is ungodly expensive when you look at the cost on a per ounce/pound basis, but the low carb versions of Total and Special K don't cost any more than their high carb counterparts and are often on sale.
I might be more tempted to buy the low carb Total for my DH and kids if it didn't contain partially hydrogenated oils and nuts but until they at least leave out the transfats, it's going to stay out of my shopping cart.
BTW, Post has also come out with a low carb cereal (2 flavors) and cereal bars, all of which contain partially hydrogenated oils. They just don't get it.

I have had the total protein before. It doesnt contain any partially hydrogenated oils. I just double checked...



It has nuts and all kinds of sugars. I would prefer it over the special k because I prefer wheat gluten over soy personally, but I am not in a hurry to be eating either of these.

My baby brother and sister both really loved the cereal and I think its better for them than the reeses puffs that they normally eat.

I would be happier with the total protein if they cut out some of those added sugars and maltitol junk.

Rather than let it go to waste, you could crush it up, and use it as the bulk portion of a meatloaf... just a suggestion.. lol..

frankly, I enjoyed it. I added a little cinnamon to the cereal with my lc dairy, and voila.. it was delightful.


that was back in March I think..when I first began to reintroduce some different foods back into my life.. so maybe it was the "omgcereal' factor, rather than, it REALLY is good.. I will have to try it again and see..
Dawn

hmmm.... I'd like to see LC Lucky Charms, or Count Chocula, or something.

I never ate cereal for breakfast anyway, why start now?

You kidding lmao? General Mills would be filing for bankruptcy in a week if that ever happened. Everyone would be screaming on how we would be targeting children for low carb diets and trying to poison and damage our kids!

Funny you dont really hear that when you think about the sugar and trans fats in those cereals now though.

My 2 cents is the Total tastes like crap, more like the Atkins "cereal" and the Special K tastes like CEREAL.. It could explain a lot!

No offense to people who LIKE the Atkins cereal or anything, but to me, the Toal and Atkins have a "cement factor" that makes chewing a chore. The Special K has a texture exactly like regular wheat flakes.

They'll either sell or they won't, but I have to disagree with them being idiots for making carbage low-carb. If I want a bowl of cereal, better 9 net carbs than 30, and the Special K actually sticks with me all morning, where regular cereal leaves me hungry sooner. When it's time to add in grains, I feel they are a good choice.

Eh, I really like the Atkins cereals . Yum.

I like the taste of soy over the taste of most grain based flours believe it or not. I was a big fan of Special K before atkins though (it was so light and yummy), so I might check this out.

considering those who do not have any viable options for lc cereal whatsoever..............i still think that you guys over there are still pretty lucky!

cheers

Woo-- that could be it. I hate the taste of soy.

I like hot cereal better and love the Minicarb milk chocolate hot flax cereal. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

My favorite is flax seed meal cooked into hot cereal. Having said that, though, this week I found a coupon in our newspaper for $1.00 off of two boxes of Total cereals. When I got to the store I looked at the regular Total (thought about buying it for the little guy) and decided to pass. Then I saw the Total Protein and checked it out. I bought two boxes for my teenage daughters, as they're basically on Atkins pre-maintenance instead of the heavier OWL restrictions. Since we're out of eggs and I wanted something in a hurry this morning I tried a little bit of it with strawberries and half-and-half. I really liked it.

I think overall the price is too high ($1.98 sale price for 12-oz. box) but the coupon made it affordable.

Also, keep in mind the way the girls eat cereal is as a side dish to their regular more proteineous breakfast. This is the only way it can be done around here because keeping blood sugar in check is number one importance, and a bowl of cereal alone doesn't do that.

I haven't tried the Special K yet, and probably won't, because I think soy could be very harmful to the kids.