Product 19 was a breakfast cereal made by Kellogg's. Introduced in 1967, it consisted of lightly sweetened flakes made of corn, oats, wheat, and rice, marketed as containing all required daily vitamins and iron. The product was discontinued in 2016.
Origin of name
The name has been explained in two ways: as the 19th version of the cereal or Kellogg's 19th product in development that year.[1][2]
Product history and marketing
Kellogg's introduced Product 19 in 1967 in response to General Mills' Total, which claimed to contain the entire daily nutritional requirement of vitamins and minerals.[2] Like Total, Product 19 was fortified with the US recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals.[3] Unlike Total, Product 19 was a multi-grain cereal. It was packed in a relatively plain red and white box, originally with charts and text, and was marketed to older consumers and the health-conscious.[2] The original slogan was "Instant Nutrition - New cereal food created especially for working mothers, otherwise busy mothers and everybody in a hurry."
In the early 1970s, advertising for Product 19 featured former American football player Tom Harmon. Towards the end, boxes depicted a person doing yoga.[2] Within Kellogg's range of cereals, it was targeted to customers seeking to lose weight.
External links
References
- Scott Bruce, Bill Crawford. Cerealizing America: The Unsweetened Story of American Breakfast Cereal Faber and Faber, 1995^
- Eric Grundhauser. The Long Death of Product 19, the Most Beloved Cereal You've Never Heard Of Atlas Obscura, November 7, 2016^
- Melanie Warner. Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal