Shredded Wheat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shredded Wheat is a breakfast cereal made from whole wheat. It comes in two sizes, bite sized (3/4 in x 1 in), and normal size, which may be crumbled up with hands before adding milk.
Both sizes are available in a frosted variety, which has one side coated with sugar. Some manufacturers have produced "filled" versions of the bitesize cereal containing a raisin at the center, or apricot or cranberry filling.
In the United States, shredded wheat is most heavily advertised and marketed by Post Cereals. In the United Kingdom, Shredded Wheat is a Cereal Partners product, although there are many generic versions and variants by different names. It was first made in the UK in 1926.
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[edit] North American manufacture
Henry Perky invented shredded wheat cereal in 1893. The wheat is first cooked in water until its moisture content reaches about 50%. It is then tempered, allowing moisture to diffuse evenly into the grain. The grain then passes through a set of rollers with grooves in one side, yielding a web of shredded wheat strands. Many webs are stacked together, and this moist stack of strands is crimped at regular intervals to produce individual pieces of cereal with the strands attached at each end. These then go into an oven, where they are baked until their moisture content is reduced to 5%. The Natural Food Company was based at Niagara Falls in 1901. It became the Shredded Wheat Company in 1904. It was bought by Nabisco (National Biscuit Company) in December 1928. US production moved to Naperville in Illinois in 1954, where it is still made. In 1993, Nabisco sold the brand to Kraft General Foods. Canadian production has been at Niagara Falls, Ontario, since 1904 due to nearby hydro-electric power. US production is also at Jonesboro, Arkansas.
[edit] UK manufacture
The original company opened a factory in Welwyn Garden City (UK) in 1926, which became part of Nabisco in 1928.The tall concrete cereal silos that form part of the factory are a local landmark and are listed structures, built by Peter Lind & Company of London. In 1988 Nabisco sold the UK site to Rank Hovis McDougall (who made own-label cereals for supermarkets), whose breakfast cereals division briefly became The Shredded Wheat Company. In 1990 RHM sold the site to Cereal Partners. Some Shredded Wheat is made at Staverton near Bath, where all Shredded Wheat be produced in 2008, when the Welwyn Garden City site is shut down.
[edit] Trademark of the term "Shredded Wheat"
Kellogg Co. v. National Biscuit Co., 305 U.S. 111, 39 USPQ 296 (1938). In that case, the Court found that “since 1894 the article has been known to the public as shredded wheat. For many years, there was no attempt to use the term ‘Shredded Wheat’ as a trade mark.” 39 USPQ at 298-99.
[edit] Trivia
- A long-running TV advert in the UK was Three Shredded Wheat, whereby eating three would give you superhuman powers. Bernard Manning, the UK comedian, made this into a joke: Why does Arthur Scargill eat three Shredded Wheat? Answer: He eats two, the other one he puts on his head.
- "Never Eat Shredded Wheat" is a common childhood mnemonic for remembering the Cardinal Points on a compass.
[edit] See also
- Weetabix - another wheat-based biscuit cereal.
[edit] External links
- Shredded Wheat Trademark Dispute @ USTPO.gov Adobe (PDF)
- Shredded Wheat History Chronology
- Closure of Welwyn Garden City plant
- Peter Lind & Company
- Ian Botham gives his family no added salt (TV advert)
