Every day, more families nationwide are discovering the great taste, quality and value of cereals made by the Malt-O-Meal company, and they’re not the only ones! The folks at Cooking Light Magazine recently discovered Malt-O-Meal’s cereals and awarded not just one, but two, varieties their highest honor: the 2011 “Taste Test Awards.”

Nicknamed “The Tasties,” Cooking Light set out to find America’s best supermarket products in 18 different categories, including cereal. To qualify, foods had to be available in major markets nationwide and meet certain nutritional criteria. In the end, 200 products were subjected to a “blind” taste test and the best of each category were chosen.

Three Sisters’ Sweet Wheat cereal received a mention as one of the top three in the frosted shredded wheat cereal category, and Malt-O-Meal brand Frosted Mini Spooners was awarded the grand prize honor in the same category.  Here is what Cooking Light had to say about its selections:

• GRAND PRIZE WINNER – Malt-O-Meal Frosted Mini Spooners: “The least expensive of the bunch took our top honors with its old-fashioned traditional taste.  The airy biscuits have a hearty sprinkling of sugar and a crisp, light texture.”

• TASTE TEST AWARD – Three Sisters Sweet Wheat: “A sweet crunch hits the taste buds, transitioning into a wheaty, earthy aftertaste.  Great depth of flavor.”

Quality innovation goes into making the Malt-O-Meal brands’ frosted shredded wheat cereals. Where most shredded wheat cereals have up to seven layers of wheat shreds baked on top of one another, Malt-O-Meal brand and Three Sisters brand cereals have twelve layers, which contribute to the difference in the quality and taste. Frosted Mini Spooners is the company’s best-selling cereal variety and is sold nationwide in grocery stores, mass merchant stores, convenience stores, and dollar stores. It is approved by the USDA for inclusion in its WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program. Three Sisters Sweet Wheat is sold exclusively at Whole Foods Market® stores in the United States.

“We are committed to finding better ways to provide a better breakfast at a better price and this Cooking Light award is proof that we’re succeeding,” says Malt-O-Meal consumer marketing manager, Linda Fisher. “It’s always flattering when the thought leaders on eating well reinforce what our loyal customers have been telling us for years.”

The 2011 Cooking Light Taste Test Awards are featured in the October issue of the publication, available on newsstands now.

It’s time for Malt-O-Meal’s annual “Cereal Day for United Way!” On Sept. 22, for one day only, the Minnesota-based company will sell bags of its family favorite varieties for just $1.

Held from 7:30 a.m. until the cereal runs out (typically around noon) in the Crystal Court at the IDS Center, all proceeds from the sale will benefit the Greater Twin Cities United Way. Malt-O-Meal’s goal is to sell 25,000 bags of cereal, and for every bag sold, the company will also donate $1, for a maximum donation of $50,000.

“The amazing people at Malt-O-Meal have again inspired people to find new ways to help,” explains Andy Goldman-Gray, senior vice president, Greater Twin Cities United Way. “Their generous donation of Frosted Mini Spooners and other cereals has not only offered nutrition for the lucky people who make it to the sale, it has fed hope for the many people in our community who won’t have to go to bed hungry tonight.”

Following the success of the program in Minneapolis over the past 8 years, Malt-O-Meal has partnered with United Way branches in other areas to host similar sales. In June, the company held a cereal sale in St. Ansgar, IA, which raised more than $8,000 for the United Way of North Central Iowa. On Sept. 24, Malt-O-Meal’s Asheboro, NC plant will host a sale, with the goal of raising $10,000 for the United Way of Randolph County. And on Oct. 1, the company’s Trementon, Utah plant will host its own sale, aiming to raise $24,000, totaling more than $92,000 in potential donations to United Way affiliates across the country.

“The dedicated work of the Greater Twin Cities United Way and all its volunteers impacts our community’s most pressing problems,” says Linda Fisher, Malt-O-Meal’s corporate communications manager. “We look forward to greeting our downtown neighbors at our cereal sale on Thursday. Their support each year is a great example of the generosity and big heart of the Twin Cities community.”

Hunger is on the rise in Minnesota, and food pantries can’t keep essentials stocked. Seeing that the need is greater than ever, the Malt-O-Meal cereal company announced today its partnership with Cub Foods, Snapple®, KSTP-TV, Second Harvest Heartland and Minnesota’s Feeding America Food Banks to sponsor the “Give a Little, Feed a Lot” Hunger Action Month campaign during September at Cub Foods stores throughout Minnesota.

Throughout the month of September, for every purchase of Malt-O-Meal brand cold cereal or Better Oats^® instant oatmeal purchased at Cub Foods, Malt-O-Meal will make a food donation to Second Harvest Heartland and Minnesota’s Feeding America Food Banks, with the goal of donating one million servings of breakfast to families in Minnesota. In addition, customers can look for special two for $5 pricing on select Malt-O-Meal brand cold cereals and four for $5 on Better Oats instant oatmeal.

“We believe that all families should have access to a good breakfast” says Malt-O-Meal’s corporate communications manager Linda Fisher. “With everyone’s help, we can reach our goal of donating one million servings of breakfast cereal to Minnesotans in need.”

Cub Foods customers can also join in the fight against hunger in two other easy ways: by purchasing non-perishable food items and placing them in donation barrels located at the entrance of all Cub stores, or making a cash donation at the register. All proceeds from the food drive will go to Second Harvest Heartland and Minnesota’s Feeding America Food Banks, including Channel One Food Bank and Food Shelf, Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank and Second Harvest North Central Food Bank.

For more information about the program, visit www.HungerActionMN.com.

Today, the editorial team at Earth911.com published a thought-provoking post on over-packing in the cereal aisle.  “Should We Bag The Cereal Box” by Earth911′s Megan Dobransky outlines Malt-O-Meal’s Bag The Box® sustainability initiative; republished here with permission:

Malt-O-Meal has an agenda: it is out to change your mind about the cereal aisle.

“We think it’s time that people start changing the way they think about cereal and start getting smarter about how that cereal is packaged,” says Linda Fisher, consumer marketing manager for Malt-O-Meal.

Walk down the cereal aisle and you will see shelves lined with boxes. In a category that has long been dominated by boxed cereal, Malt-O-Meal is working to show consumers that there is a better, smarter way to buy their cereal – and it doesn’t have to cost more to do it. Through the company’s new Bag The Box initiative, Malt-O-Meal is setting out to show consumers that they not only can save money, but they can also feel good about buying more sustainable packaging by rethinking the box and buying cereal in a bag.

“We’re a small company – a David among Goliaths – and we originally introduced bags in 1965 because they saved money and gave us a competitive edge,” Fisher explained. “Truth is that cost savings were a big driver behind all our initiatives, from energy conservation to waste reduction. But we got to thinking about packaging and over-packaging, and realized that skipping the box and by packaging cereal in just a bag, we were also doing something good for the environment as well.”

In 2008, Malt-O-Meal hired Franklin Associates, a packaging consultant group, to analyze their carbon footprint. The group found that by packaging cereal in bags only, there’s 75 percent less consumer waste than the traditional bag-and-box packaging of most cereals. They also found that they were saving energy, fuel and other resources as well.

“People don’t have to pay a premium to be greener,” says Fisher. “Ninety percent of American households buy cereal. Every box has a plastic bag, which usually can’t be recycled, inside of it. Think of all the resources that go into producing the 2.3 billion boxes the U.S. produces each year, and then you put a plastic bag inside? That’s double packaging, and that’s unnecessary.”

Are Bags Better?

The inherent problem with any cereal bag is that it cannot be recycled in traditional plastic bag collections like at your local grocery store. Fisher says that’s because the bags are fabricated to preserve a long shelf life that grocers require and provide a moisture barrier, which keeps the cereal fresh. This applies to all types of cereal bags.

Cereal boxes are paperboard, so they can be recycled as long as they aren’t wet or contaminated.

(Earth911 invites you to Find your local recycle solution for paperboard)

But Malt-O-Meal sees the box as wasteful, even if it can be recycled. According to Fisher, Malt-O-Meal uses less energy and materials because resources aren’t used to produce boxes as well. “While we are firm believers in recycling, we are also advocates of reducing. It’s the reduce part were focused on,” she says.

While there are environmental positives by reducing packaging, there is still the matter of end-of-life disposal for Malt-O-Meal’s bags.

Enter TerraCycle.

The company collects hard-to-recycle materials and transforms them into usable products like messenger bags, fencing, coasters, stationery products and trash cans. The products can then be sent back to TerraCycle to begin the process all over again.

Simply sign up for the Cereal Bag Brigade, collect bags and mail them to TerraCycle. Each shipment earns you points that can be redeemed for $0.02 per bag for your school. Best of all, it’s totally free to participate.

If this isn’t an option for you, you can also reuse the bags. Because they are sturdy and resealable, Fisher suggests reusing them – not for food as they’re not made for secondary food use – but the many other things that need to be secured and stored. “We’ve heard from some of our customers that they make good crayon or coloring book holders for long road trip,” Fisher says.

Beyond Packaging

Malt-O-Meal’s sustainability efforts go beyond its packaging. It is the first cereal company to build new manufacturing facilities in a decade and it used as many green building and production practices as possible, including Energy Star-certified appliances.
“We do things differently,” Fisher says. “But we’re doing something right.”

The company purchases wind energy credits for its all-natural brands and has reduced water usage by 41 percent in the last 15 years. Its goal is to reach a 99-percent landfill diversion rate, and one plant has already reached 95 percent.

Fisher says that sustainability and good business go hand in hand. For instance, excess water at production facilities is a potential food safety problem. “So by reducing our water usage, we improve our food safety, and we’re also being more sustainable.”

For Malt-O-Meal, the goal has long been to pass cost savings to customers. A lot of money can be saved by adopting more sustainable business practices.

“Low cost innovation is in our DNA,” Fisher says. “We strive to find smarter, more efficient ways to do things without sacrificing quality, so we can continue to pass savings onto American families. Since 2005, we’ve saved American families over $1 billion.”

Family also seems to be in the Malt-O-Meal DNA. Now in its fourth generation, it’s been a family-owned business since the beginning.

“We take a long-view on every decision we make,” says Fisher. “If we can lessen our impact on the environment, everyone will be better off. That’s just the right thing to do, and we can do it in a way that makes business sense.”

To learn more about Malt-O-Meal’s sustainable packaging visit: http://bagthebox.com/our-blog/

Earth911 Editor’s Note: Earth911 partners with many industries, manufacturers and organizations to support its Recycling Directory, the largest in the nation, which is provided to consumers at no cost. Malt-O-Meal is one of these partners.