This post has nothing to do with the stout, jovial man holding a mug of beer and wearing 18th-century attire, a long coat and a tricorn hat. It was the picture that was appealing. There was a time when no British antique shop would have been complete without a Toby jug, but this concerns a much more serious matter, Shredded Wheat or, more precisely, its unexplained disappearance two months ago.
The first supermarket questioned said that the product (why is everything a ‘product’ these days?) had been discontinued. The second said it was out of stock, with no date for its return. The third, being rather more upmarket, didn’t stock it anyway and concentrated on expensive, trendy ‘health’ foods. This may not seem significant to you, but to lovers of this cereal it was a disaster.
Enter Uncle Tobys. Why the fuss you say. There are plenty of cereals to choose from these days, every shape and colour to suit your taste, from ‘no added sugar’ to too much of it.
This cereal does seem to occupy a special place on the Australian breakfast table. Following the gold rush in Australia, the Parsons brothers left England and started manufacturing John Bull Oats in Melbourne. In 1861 the Uncle Tobys Company was born.
But it seems the USA can lay claim to the name Shredded Wheat.
A certain Henry Perky developed a method of processing wheat into strips that were formed into pillow-like biscuits.
Companies change hands, so it’s sometimes difficult to know who owns what. Uncle Tobys is currently operated as a subsidiary of Nestlé and their cereals are manufactured in the UK as well as Australia, near the wheat fields of Victoria.
Shredded Wheat had a particular place in UK popular culture, years ago, due to a long-running TV advertising campaign. It featured Linda Hoyle, singing the lyrics: “There are two men in my life, to one I am a mother, to the other I’m a wife and I give them both the best with natural Shredded Wheat.
So, what did happen to our favourite cereal? Now we get involved in international affairs. Uncle Tobys simply said that there was a temporary shortage of some, unspecified, materials and were making changes to some recipes but did not name the ‘products’ involved. Nestlé were more specific saying that sunflower oil is one of the ingredients they use. Prior to the current war, Ukraine was the world’s largest exporter of sunflower oil and, together, Ukraine & Russia accounted for around 70% of the world’s supply. There, presumably, is the answer. The hunt is now on for ‘sustainably sourced palm oil’ as a ‘temporary’ measure.
Glory be, it re-appeared last week in our local supermarket. Only two boxes were on the shelf though; the vultures had been there before us. Delight changed to annoyance at the price which was 25% more. Madame astutely pointed out that the box was bigger, by a third! No cause for complaint there then.
Have you heard of Kendrick Lamar? No, nor had I, but Complex magazine listed his song “Cartoon & Cereal” its second best song in 2012 (Today’s useless fact).
Feeling hungry……………?
Another Down Under diary 