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Peanut Butter Recall

General Mills consumers

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Pillsbury Bake-Off

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Peanut Butter Recall

Q: Are any of your products affected by the peanut butter recall?

A: General Mills announced on February 13, 2009, a voluntary recall of three flavors of Cascadian Farm snack bars containing peanuts because the products may have been sourced from the Plainview, Texas plant of Peanut Corporation of America. The snack bars being recalled are: Cascadian Farm Peanut Butter Chip Chewy Granola Bars, Cascadian Farm Sweet & Salty Mixed Nut Chewy Granola Bars, and Cascadian Farm Sweet & Salty Peanut Pretzel Chewy Granola Bars. On January 19, 2009, General Mills announced a recall of Larabar Peanut Butter Cookie bars and JamFrakas Peanut Butter Blisscrisp bars because the products contained ingredients sourced from the same company.

Q: Which Cascadian Farms products are being recalled?

A: General Mills announced on February 13, 2009 a voluntary recall of three flavors of Cascadian Farm snack bars containing peanuts: Cascadian Farm Peanut Butter Chip Chewy Granola Bars, Cascadian Farm Sweet & Salty Mixed Nut Chewy Granola Bars, and Cascadian Farm Sweet & Salty Peanut Pretzel Chewy Granola Bars.

The company said it has no reason to believe there is any safety issue with these products, but that it is taking the action, as a precaution, because peanut pieces in the products may have been sourced from the Plainview, Texas plant of Peanut Corporation of America.

PCA is no longer a supplier to Cascadian Farm, and no other types, varieties or flavors of Cascadian Farm products are being recalled.

The specific products in this recall include:

Cascadian Farm products are sold in traditional and specialty retail stores. Consumers who have products covered by this recall are urged to dispose of the product, and to contact Cascadian Farm for a full refund. Consumers with questions or concerns about the recall may call the toll-free hotline at 1-800-624-4123.

In addition to this recall, on January 19, 2009 General Mills announced a recall of Larabar Peanut Butter Cookie bars and JamFrakas Peanut Butter Blisscrisp bars because the products contained ingredients sourced from the same company. No other General Mills products utilize any ingredients purchased from Peanut Corporation of America.

Q: Which LÄRABAR & JAMFRAKAS products are being recalled?

A: On January 19, General Mills announced a recall of Larabar Peanut Butter Cookie bars and JamFrakas Peanut Butter Blisscrisp bars because the products contained ingredients sourced from the same company. No illnesses have been reported in connection with LÄRABAR or JamFrakas products, and no other types, varieties or flavors of LÄRABAR or JamFrakas products are being recalled.

Peanut butter produced by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) has been implicated in an outbreak of salmonella. As the scope of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation into this outbreak expanded this weekend, Peanut Corporation of America expanded its recall to additional lot codes of peanut butter. PCA supplied peanut butter to one of General Mills' suppliers, including some lots that were part of the expanded recall, prompting General Mills to issue its own voluntary national Class I recall of the two LÄRABAR and JamFrakas products potentially involved.

LÄRABAR Peanut Butter Cookie flavor snack bars and JamFrakas Peanut Butter Blisscrisp flavor snack bars are distributed nationally under the LÄRABAR and JamFrakas brands, and are sold primarily as individual bars in grocery and specialty retail stores.

The specific products in this recall include:

A combined 15,000 cases of product are involved. This includes all production of these two particular flavors, which were introduced in June.

The FDA has indicated that Peanut Corporation of America is the focus of an investigation into salmonella-related illnesses thought to be caused by tainted peanut butter. Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, particularly in young children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and/or abdominal pain. For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site at http://www.cdc.gov.

Consumers who have products covered by this recall are urged to dispose of the product, and to contact LÄRABAR or JamFrakas for a full refund. Consumers with questions or concerns about the recall may call the toll-free hotline at 1-800-543-2147.

In addition to this recall, General Mills announced on February 13, 2009 a voluntary recall of three flavors of Cascadian Farm snack bars containing peanuts: Cascadian Farm Peanut Butter Chip Chewy Granola Bars, Cascadian Farm Sweet & Salty Mixed Nut Chewy Granola Bars, and Cascadian Farm Sweet & Salty Peanut Pretzel Chewy Granola Bars. No other General Mills products utilize any ingredients purchased from Peanut Corporation of America.

General Mills consumers

Q: How can I contact General Mills?

A: Our world headquarters is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We have plants, mills and regional offices worldwide.

You can call General Mills at 763-764-7600. If you prefer to write, please send a letter to:

     General Mills
     P.O. Box 1113
     Minneapolis, MN 55440

If you have comments about a product, please contact consumer services at 1-800-328-1144 (7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. CT, weekdays) or try our product locator.

For Canadian Products you can call General Mills Canada Corporation at 905-212-4000. If you prefer to write a letter, please send it to:

     General Mills Canada Corporation
     Attn: Consumer Services
     5825 Explorer Drive
     Mississauga, ON L4W 5P6

If you have questions or complaints about a specific Canadian product, please contact Consumer Services at 1-800-479-8505 (9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. EST, weekdays).

Q: Where can I find a specific General Mills product?

A: Use our product locator. to find the store nearest you--just enter your zip code and select the product you are looking for. If you do not have access to the internet, please call our Consumer Services Department at 1-800-328-1144 and we'll be happy to check availability for you.

Q: Why isn't my favorite General Mills product at my local store?

A: General Mills makes every effort to have our items available at your local grocery store. If you can't find a product, you can order selected items directly from General Mills. To do so, visit our Hard-to-Find Products store.

Q: I'm looking for a particular Betty Crocker recipe. Can you help?

A: Yes. But first you'll want to check our Betty Crocker Web site. Betty can help find a recipe, and also offers a helpful menu-planning guide. If you don't find your favorite recipe, you can Ask Betty at the Betty Crocker Web site. Or, e-mail your request to us. We'll make every effort to find it for you.

General Mills Investors / commitment

Q: Where can I learn about General Mills' financial information and stock price?

A: Our investors pages provide annual reports, SEC filings, financial news releases and related information.

Our stock quote is available here.

Q: Will General Mills make a product or financial donation to my organization?

A: General Mills funds grants to many nonprofit organizations through the General Mills Foundation. All of our product donations -- more than 10 million pounds each year -- are provided to and distributed through Second Harvest to food banks across the nation. Unfortunately, we cannot fulfill individual requests. However, if you feel that your request should receive special attention, please write on your organization's letterhead to:

     General Mills, Inc.
     Attn: Director, Consumer Services
     General Mills, Incorporated - JFB Annex
     P.O. Box 9452
     Minneapolis, MN 55440

Q: Will General Mills help raise money for our school?

A: Through Box Tops for Education, General Mills helps to raise funds for primary schools (K-8) nationwide. There are three easy ways to earn money for your school with Box Tops for Education:

Business proposals

Q: Where can I submit Business Proposals or Requests?

A: We have a web-based system to efficiently receive and review the following three types of proposals or requests. We do not review requests in these areas through email, phone, fax or mail.

• Marketing Communications Business Proposal
  This includes Advertising, Media, Branding, Brand Design, Product Licensing, Brand Licensing, Multicultural Marketing, Promotion Marketing, and Public Relations.
• Corporate Training Program Business Proposal
  This includes training programs such as Leadership, Teambuilding, Technology, Safety, and Soft Skills
• Betty Crocker Kitchens / Publications Request
  This includes requests for cooking classes, kitchen tours, sponsorships and donations

Please visit our Business Proposal page to begin the submission process.

If you have a technology idea, visit our Technology Idea Submission Web site instead. For all other requests, visit the main contact page.

Pillsbury Bake-Off

Q: How can I get the winning Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest recipes?

A: You'll find winning recipes from all Bake-Off contests at this Web site.

Q: What is the history of the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest?

A: The Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest celebrated its 57th anniversary in 2007 and remains the most prestigious cooking and baking competition nationwide. View a video, on Bake-Off Contest winning moments.

Q: Tell me more about the upcoming Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest.

A: For contest details go to our Bake-Off Contest Web site.

Q: How can I enter the Pillsbury Bake-Off?

A: Entry process and official rules from the most recent contest reside at this Web site. You'll also learn how the contest was structured and managed. After each Bake-Off Contest, we evaluate all aspects of the event to improve future contests. The next Bake-Off competition will be the subject of a future announcement.

Brands

Q: How did the Pillsbury Doughboy pop onto the scene?

A: One day in 1965, an advertising executive cracked open a can of Pillsbury dough, and in his mind out sprang the Doughboy character, Poppin' Fresh. Within three years, almost 90 percent of the population knew the little guy.

Find more detail in this downloadable PDF.

Q: Has Pillsbury really been a company for more than 100 years?

A: Since 1869, to be exact. The Pillsbury brand has helped make baking easier and fun for nearly 150 years. Follow Pillsbury and the Doughboy from the start with this history timeline.

Q: What is the origin of the Jolly Green Giant?

A: In 1925, the Minnesota Valley Canning Company in Le Sueur introduced a new variety of peas. This variety was huge, and unmatched in flavor, sweetness, and tenderness. The peas were named Green Giant, and the Jolly Green Giant was born.

Find more detail in this downloadable PDF.

Q: Who is Betty Crocker?

A: Requests for answers to baking questions flooded the offices of what became General Mills during the late 1910s and early 1920s. Eventually, company officials combined the last name of retired company executive William Crocker with the first name Betty.

With consumers asking for increasing amounts of information about cooking, more than 20 home economists were hired to represent the Betty Crocker Kitchens. It was through this character that employees wrote personal responses to inquiries starting in 1921.

In 1924, a cooking show debuted in regional markets with Betty Crocker being heard. This show later became a national broadcast that ran for nearly a quarter century. But it wasn't until 1936 that an artist created a likeness of Betty, blending features from numerous subjects. Although she was not a real woman, at one time a poll rated her behind only Eleanor Roosevelt among famous American women.

Q: What are the Betty Crocker Kitchens?

A: The Betty Crocker Kitchens' seal guarantees success in the kitchen. Every recipe or product with the seal was tested in America's Most Trusted Kitchens' to meet our high standards of reliability, easy preparation and great taste.

Q: What's the story behind Cheerios?

A: From Cheerioats' debut in 1941 to a name change in 1945, then past our 60th anniversary in 2001, here's our story.

Q: How was Wheaties created?

A: The popular cereal in the orange box was born when a Minneapolis health clinician preparing a wheat bran mixture accidentally spilled mix on a hot stove. The result was tasty wheat flakes. Read about our humble beginning.

Q: What athletes and teams have appeared on Wheaties packages?

A: See our Champions list that dates back to 1939.