New Soy Foods from General Mills &Kellogg's

New Soy Foods from General Mills &Kellogg's

MINNEAPOLIS--General Mills and Protein Technologies International (PTI) have partneredto release a line of soy foods. The companies are collaborating on developing andmarketing the line. General Mills and PTI signed a letter of intent to form a jointventure that is focused on the project. It will give General Mills access to some of PTI'sproprietary soy technology for use in some of its own food categories.  In a relateddevelopment, Kellogg's will be introducing a soy cereal this year as an addition to itsSmart Start cereal line. The Smart Start Soy Protein cereal is the first soy-based cerealto be launched by a major conventional manufacturer.  The low-fat cereal is expectedto do well with informed consumers. It is designed to meet the requirements for the newhealth claim by providing 6.25 grams of soy protein per serving. "With this newentry, Kellogg fills an unmet need bringing soy mainstream and offering consumers agreat-tasting soy-based cereal," said John Cook, executive vice president of Kelloggand president of Kellogg North America.  In related news, General Mills finalized itsDecember acquisition of Sedro-Woolley, Wash.-based Small Planet Foods. As part of theacquisition, General Mills will take over Small Planet's Muir Glen and Cascadian Farmbrands, which have a combined annual sales total of approximately $60 million. Accordingto the company, General Mills plans to expand distribution of Small Planet's brands anddevelop new organic foods.