Weetabix is a whole grain wheat breakfast cereal produced by Weetabix Limited of the United Kingdom. It comes in the form of palm-sized (ovals approx. 9.5cm × 5.0cm or 4" × 2") biscuits. Variants include organic and Weetabix Minis (bite-sized) versions.[1] The UK cereal is manufactured in Burton Latimer, Kettering, United Kingdom and in Canada and exported to over 80 countries.[2] Weetabix for the North American market (Canada and the U.S) is manufactured in Cobourg, Ontario, in both organic and conventional versions.
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Weetabix was invented in Australia in the 1920s by Bennison Osborne. He and New Zealand partner Malcolm Macfarlane sold the Australian and New Zealand rights for "Weet-Bix" to Sanitarium Health Food Company in 1930. Osborne and Macfarlane then formed the "British & African Cereal Company Pty. Ltd.", and began exporting the product to South Africa. Production began in 1932 in an unused gristmill at Burton Latimer, near Kettering.[3] When they introduced the product to the British market they renamed the product "Weetabix". In 1936, the name of the company was changed to Weetabix Limited.
Weet-Bix are currently marketed in Australasia and South Africa by Sanitarium. The product was introduced to North America in 1967, when Weetabix Limited began exporting the product to Canada. The United States followed in 1968.[4]
Weetabix may be served with milk (hot or cold) in a bowl, as with any other breakfast cereal, topped with sugar or fruit. They can also be toasted and topped with melted cheese, jam or nut butters. They are very light and absorbent and when soaked in milk can take on the texture of a light porridge, after very briefly retaining their initial crunchiness. Weetabix is made from whole grain wheat and is high in fibre, with 3.8g of fibre in a 37.5g serving (2 biscuits).[5]
Dry Weetabix is so absorbent that it is extremely difficult to eat without liquid. Fund-raisers such as the Boy Scouts hold events based on this, such as returning double the entry fee for those who can eat two dry Weetabix.
In the 1980s, Weetabix advertising anthropomorphized the biscuits, representing a group of 'street-wise' young teens, beginning as 'skinheads'. Their appearances on the packaging and associated publicity featured catch phrases such as "titchy breakfast cereals" to describe rivals, with the response "Neet Weet Mate", "OK!".
See: example of the Weetabix advertisement can be seen here
Weetabix was the title sponsor of the Women's British Open, a women's major golf championship, from 2001 to 2006.
In 1981, Weetabix aired an advertisement entitled 1, which showed a big "1" as a crop circle-like figure in a field [6]
In 1984, a promotional Weetabix video game, Weetabix versus the Titchies, was released for various 8-bit home computers.[1] The game was a variant of Space Invaders.
Weetabix Minis are essentially a sweeter 'bite-size' version of the standard Weetabix biscuits, with various additions depending upon the variety - 'chocolate', 'banana', 'fruit & nut' and 'honey & nut'.
Outside of the UK, the cereal has been relaunched and renamed at least twice in a relatively short period of time following their launch. Previously, they were known as Fruitibix, Bananabix and Chocobix (depending upon the additions), then as Minibix.
Organic versions of Weetabix are sold in various countries.
Oatibix is similar to Weetabix, but is based on whole grain oats instead of wheat.
Weetabix launched a chocolate-powder infused version of the original Weetabix in the UK on July 2010 in a 24 pack size.
On 1 August 2011, the United States satirist Jon Stewart paid tribute to the popular breakfast cereal during a package on American soldiers working in Afghanistan on his show The Daily Show on Comedy Central.
He said:
To the NATO Allies that we met. The troops from the other countries that were there. That give so much. Your service is much appreciated. But that is no excuse to introduce Weetabix to our troops. I'm sorry. That is not a breakfast. That is a building material.