The corporation defines “sustainable sourcing” for most crops as “continuous improvement on environmental impacts.” However, General Mills is not gathering data on pesticide use, let alone reducing the use of bee-toxic pesticides. General Mills reports that it is 76 percent of the way there. To improve the whole company’s sustainability image, General Mills promised to sustainably source its 10 main ingredients by 2020. The oats in Cheerios-and lots of other foods made by General Mills-are still being treated with bee-toxic pesticides. That’s all great, but there’s one big problem. To “Bring Back the Bees,” Cheerios gave away millions of wildflower seeds and donated money to research. Governments around the world, like the European Union, are beginning to ban toxic pesticides to protect our vital (and dwindling) population of both wild and commercial honeybees. Their numbers are plummeting and scientists have determined that certain pesticides are a major reason why. Bee Colony Collapse or Pollinator Decline is a complex issue in short, bees and other insects are vital for global food production since they pollinate three-quarters of all crops. The “Bring Back the Bees” campaign sought to raise awareness about declining pollinator populations. To show off their commitment to the environment, Cheerios launched a bold new ad campaign in 2016 called “ Bring Back the Bees.”
![cheerio bee cheerio bee](http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/4200000/wheat-crunchies-potato-chips-4237455-431-300.jpg)
First they bought lots of organic and “natural” food brands that were already known by consumers, like Annie’s, and second, they made old brands more appealing by eliminating artificial ingredients and committing to sustainable agriculture.Ĭheerios, one of General Mills’ most identifiable brands, is 77 years old and is still America’s most popular cereal-they gross $1 billion in sales per year.
![cheerio bee cheerio bee](https://media.newsela.com/article_media/2017/03/cheerios-bees-8685ab8e.jpg)
Traditional snacks and cereals were still profitable but were no longer growing in sales, as consumers of all kinds began to prefer healthier, more authentic food. We think they should flavor the new “campaign” with a dash of gay-perhaps the BuzzBee faced even more intense bullying at home and at school when he came out as a bee who likes other male bees.At the beginning of the modern, health-conscious age, cereal giant General Mills faced a big problem.
![cheerio bee cheerio bee](http://aterd.firesidegrillandbar.com/cara-https-cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/cheerioTOP.jpg)
“Our customers have always loved BuzzBee, and we figured such an iconic character deserved a rich backstory that people would enjoy following along with,” said General Mills representative Gina Ripp, adding that the animated bee’s cheerful appearance would remain the same, but would mask “deep inner turmoil stemming from the crucial early years of his personal development.” “He still loves Honey Nut Cheerios, with its 12 essential vitamins and minerals, but now his love is complicated, perhaps fed, by the feelings of self-hatred he acquired as a ritually abused foster child in suburban Indiana.”
#Cheerio bee series
The Onion lays out the fake ad strategy at length:Ĭalling the psychologically intense new narrative a “fresh and interesting twist on a beloved character,” General Mills said it would unveil a series of TV, web, and print ads relating, often in graphic detail, the Honey Nut Cheerios mascot’s separation from his drug-addicted parents at a young age, as well as his near-constant emotional and physical suffering at the hands of a controlling, fundamentalist Christian foster father. The Onion, a satirical newspaper we’ve loved since their 2001 headline “ Gay-Pride Parade Sets Mainstream Acceptance Of Gays Back 50 Years,” has a hilarious new story about General Mills rebranding the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee’s backstory to be more “real.”Īpparently BuzzBee grew up in a foster home with an abusive Christian father in Indiana after being separated from his drug-addict parents.