Uncle Tobys facts for kids
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| Type | Breakfast cereal |
|---|---|
| Owner | Nestlé |
| Country | Australia |
| Introduced | 1892, Melbourne, Australia (as Parsons Bros.) |
| Markets | Australia |
| Previous owners | Goodman Fielder |
Uncle Tobys is a well-known Australian food company. They are famous for making breakfast foods, especially products made from oats. Since starting in 1861, the company has grown to offer many different cereals and ready-to-eat snacks. Uncle Tobys is now part of a bigger company called Nestlé, which bought it in 2006. The main factory for Uncle Tobys is in Wahgunyah, Victoria.
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The Story of Uncle Tobys
The Uncle Tobys story began a long time ago, during the gold rush in Victoria. Two brothers, Leonard and George Parsons, came from England. They started making food products under the name John Bull Oats in Melbourne. In 1861, they officially created their company, Parsons Bros., which later became Uncle Tobys. Back then, oats were very important and were even talked about in the financial news!
In 2006, a big food company called Nestlé bought Uncle Tobys Australia. They also got the rights to the brand in New Zealand. This was a very large purchase. The part of Uncle Tobys that made cereals became part of Cereal Partners Worldwide. This is a company that Nestlé shares with General Mills. Other parts of Uncle Tobys, like their snacks and soups, joined Nestlé Australia directly.
What Products Does Uncle Tobys Make?
Uncle Tobys makes many different kinds of food. Their main products are oats, which you can eat for breakfast. They also make cereals like Cheerios (under the Uncle Tobys brand), PLUS, and Fruity Bites. For snacks, they have Chewy bars, gummy fruit rolls called "Roll-Ups," and Crackers. They even make "goodness shakes."
Oats and Healthy Eating
Most of the oats Uncle Tobys uses in Australia are a special type called Mikita. These Mikita oats are great because they are strong against diseases. They also produce more oats and have higher levels of something called β-glucan. Beta-glucan is a type of fiber that is good for you. Mikita oats were created by scientists at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI). Uncle Tobys helped fund this important research.
Uncle Tobys gets half of its oats from local farms. These farms are usually within 100 kilometers of their main factory. The company also makes sure that their suppliers are certified for sustainable farming. This means they grow oats in a way that is good for the environment.
Uncle Tobys often talks about how healthy their oats are. They call them a 'natural superfood'. Studies have shown that the fiber in Uncle Tobys oat bars is good for adults.
Being Honest in Advertising
Sometimes, companies need to be careful about how they advertise their products. In 2006, a group called the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) told Uncle Tobys to change some of their ads. Uncle Tobys had advertised that their Fruit Roll-Ups were ‘Made with 65% real fruit’. The ACCC was worried that this might make people think the product was more like fresh fruit than it really was.
After this, Uncle Tobys changed their ads. They stopped saying that Roll-Ups were like a certain percentage of fresh fruit. They also stopped showing an apple being squashed into a Fruit Roll-Up. Uncle Tobys learned that they needed to think carefully about how people would understand their ads.
Later, in 2015, Uncle Tobys was fined for some claims about protein in their oat products. The ACCC believed that the packaging made it seem like the oats had a lot of protein, which was not quite right. This shows how important it is for companies to be very clear and honest in all their advertising.
Uncle Tobys and Swimming
Uncle Tobys has a long history with swimming in Australia. In 1983, they sponsored their first athlete, Lisa Curry, who was a swimmer at the Commonwealth Games. Today, two famous Olympic swimmers, Cate and Bronte Campbell, are ambassadors for the Uncle Tobys brand.
Uncle Tobys has also worked with Royal Life Saving Australia on a program called ‘Swim My Way’. This program started in 2018. Its goal is to encourage all Australians, no matter their age, to swim.
See also: Swim Kids, another program by Uncle Tobys that helps children learn how to swim.
Product Safety and Recalls
Sometimes, a company might need to recall a product to keep people safe. In 2020, Food Standards Australia New Zealand announced a recall for some Uncle Tobys fruit roll-ups. This included flavors like passionfruit, rainbow berry, rainbow fruit salad, and fun-prints strawberry.
The recall happened because of a problem with equipment at one of Nestlé's factories. This problem meant there was a chance that small pieces of metal could have gotten into the products. If customers had bought any of the affected products, they could get a full refund. This shows how companies work to make sure their food is safe for everyone.
See also
- List of oldest companies in Australia
