Wheatena facts for kids
A box of Wheatena from 2006
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| Type | Porridge |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | New York City |
| Created by | George H. Hoyt |
| Main ingredients | Wheat |
Wheatena is a classic American breakfast cereal. It's made from toasted whole wheat, which means it's full of healthy fiber! This cereal first started in New York City, New York around 1879. A small bakery owner had the idea to roast and grind whole wheat. He then packaged it to sell under the name Wheatena.
Contents
The Story of Wheatena
How Wheatena Began
Wheatena was created by George H. Hoyt in the late 1800s. Back then, most cereals like cracked wheat or oatmeal were sold from big barrels. Stores would scoop out the cereal for customers by the pound.
George Hoyt found a special way to prepare wheat for cereal. He sold his cereal in boxes, which was a new and cleaner way to buy food. This made his cereal very popular!
New Owners and New Locations
Hoyt started advertising Wheatena in newspapers as early as 1879. Six years later, in 1885, he sold his business. The new owner was Dr. Frank Fuller, a doctor who was very interested in good nutrition. Dr. Fuller had started a company called the Health Food Company.
Dr. Fuller used Hoyt's method to make his own wheat cereal. He moved the manufacturing to Akron, Ohio, which was closer to where the wheat was grown.
Growing the Company
In 1903, A.R. Wendell bought Health Foods. He officially named it The Wheatena Company that same year. By 1907, the company moved to a new factory in Rahway, New Jersey. They even called this new place "Wheatenaville"! By the mid-1920s, millions of boxes of Wheatena were sold every year.
Changes Over the Years
In the early 1960s, a company called the Uhlmann Company bought Wheatena. They also bought Highspire Flour Mills, which supplied the cracked wheat for the cereal. In 1967, Uhlmann moved Wheatena's production to Highspire, Pennsylvania.
Later, in 1988, the cereal-making part of the business was sold to American Home Food Products. The Wheatena brand name was eventually bought by ConAgra in 2000.
Wheatena Today
On October 31, 2001, an entrepreneur named William Stadtlander bought the Wheatena brand and the Pennsylvania factory. He started a new company called Homestat Farm, Ltd. in Dublin, Ohio. As of 2006, Homestat Farm still makes Wheatena, along with other old-fashioned cereals like Maypo and Maltex.
Food Safety and Labeling
Around 2006, the state of California had a lawsuit against Homestat Farm. California has a law called Proposition 65. This law requires labels on food that contains a substance called acrylamide. Acrylamide can form when starchy foods are baked, roasted, or toasted. Federal rules from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) do not require this specific label.
Wheatena in the Media
Radio Shows
In the early 1930s, Wheatena sponsored a radio show called Wheatenaville on NBC. It started on September 26, 1932. The show featured actors like Tom Hutchinson, Roberta Hoyt, and Harold Peary.
Wheatena also sponsored the Popeye the Sailor radio show! They sponsored 87 episodes on NBC from September 10, 1935, to March 28, 1936. In the show, Wheatena was shown as a food that gave Popeye his amazing strength, just like spinach. The announcer would even sing, "Wheatena is his diet / He asks you to try it / With Popeye the sailor man."
The show continued on WABC (now WCBS-AM) for another 78 episodes. Again, Popeye would sing about Wheatena giving him strength. He would say, "Wheatena's me diet / I ax ya to try it / I'm Popeye the Sailor Man."
Video
- National Association of Manufacturers: "Cool Stuff Being Made: How Cereal Is Made – Wheatena": video by the Pennsylvania Cable Network
