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Did you know that…
Cereal or grain is a member of the grass plant family, with starchy seeds used for food. Common cereals are: wheat, rice, rye, oats, barley, corn (maize), and sorghum.

The word cereal came from Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and harvest. She symbolizes the cultivated, fertile soil that provides for humanity. She was worshipped as the all-nourishing mother.

Breakfast cereals actually began as part of the health-food craze in the 1800's. It grew out of a health movement in the 1860's to add fiber, which was non-existent in diets at that time.

Dr. James C. Jackson, invented the world's first cereal in 1863. He called this 'Granula' (named after granules) which was Graham flour dough baked into dry loaves, broken into chunks and baked again, and then ground into still smaller chunks. These heavy bran nuggets needed soaking overnight before they were tender enough to eat.

The first dry, flaked breakfast cereal however was developed by the Kellogg brothers. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and his brother, Will Keith Kellogg, experimented with various grain dishes while running a health sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. They came from a family of Seventh Day Adventists, a religious group that focused attention to health and a simple, vegetarian diet.

In 1877, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, the operator of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan, invented a ground up wheat, oat, and cornmeal biscuit for his patients suffering from bowel problems.

In 1894, Will Keith Kellogg accidentally left a pot of boiled wheat to stand for days and the wheat became very soft. When he rolled the softened wheat and let it dry, each grain of wheat emerged as a large thin flake. The flakes turned out to be a tasty cereal. He had invented corn flakes. Sanitarium patients loved the new concoction when served with milk, and after they returned home, ordered the flakes by mail. Because of the Kellogg brothers, the city of Battle Creek is nicknamed the "cereal capital of the world”.

Charles William Post came to the Battle Creek Sanitarium of the Kellogg brothers to cure his upset stomach. He later created Postum, a cereal-based coffee substitute. In 1897 he came up with Grape-Nuts, and in 1904, Elijah's Manna (renamed Post Toasties).

Post introduced the first sweetened cereal in 1949 Sugar Crisp. These were soon followed by Kellogg's Sugar Pops, Frosted Flakes and Sugar Smacks, and General Mills' Trix.



  • 1863 Granula was created by James Caleb Jackson.
  • 1877 Dr. John Harvey Kellogg invented a ground up wheat, oat, and cornmeal biscuit for his patients suffering from bowel problems.
  • 1894 Will Keith Kellogg accidentally created corn flakes.
  • 1897 Grape-Nuts was created by C.W. Post.
  • 1904 Elijah's Manna created by Post, later to be called Post Toasties.
  • 1906 Kellogg begins production of Kellogg's Corn Flakes at W.K. Kellogg's newly formed Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company.
  • 1915 Quaker Oats packages Quaker Oatmeal in now-familiar cylinders.
  • 1924 General Mills introduces Wheaties, called Washburn's Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flakes during its development.
  • 1928 Kellogg introduces Rice Krispies.
  • 1941 General Mills introduces Cheerioats, later to be called Cheerios.
  • 1942 Raisin Bran is introduced by Post.
  • 1952 Kellogg introduces Sugar Smacks.
  • 1958 Tony the Tiger wins contest over Katy the Kangaroo to become sole spokes-character for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes.
  • 1961 Quaker Oats introduces Life Cereal.
  • 1963 Quaker Oats introduces Cap'n Crunch. Kellogg introduces Froot Loops.

  • Of the more than 294 million people in the U.S, 49% start their day with a bowl of cereal.
  • The average American eats 160 bowls of cereal each year.
  • Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals are served in nine out of 10 American households.
  • 85% of all protein consumed throughout the world is provided by grains such as wheat, corn, rice, millet, rye, barley, and sorghum those that are often found in cereal.
  • Astronauts from Apollo 11 boosted their brain power while in space with a cereal breakfast. The cereal was mixed with fruit and pressed into cubes since the lack of gravity kept the astronauts from pouring it into a bowl with milk.
  • In the US, breakfast cereal is the third most popular item sold in grocery stores after carbonated beverages and milk.
  • The US Department of Agriculture recommends 6 to 11 servings of grains in a daily diet and a bowl of cereal is a source of grains.
  • There are 2.7 billion packages of cereal sold every year that's enough boxes to wrap around the Earth 13 times.