Quaker Oats had an “aha moment” about a year ago, said Robbert Rietbroek, senior vice president and general manager for Quaker Foods North America.
The brand, which traces its history back to 1877, was largely being marketed to consumers with a focus on emotion and nostalgia — not health …. As temperatures drop this fall to prime oatmeal weather, prepare to hear plenty from Quaker on the health benefits of oats.
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Last month, Quaker was one of the cereal companies named in a report by the Environmental Working Group, an environmental advocacy organization, as having unsafe levels of glyphosate, the most commonly used herbicide on genetically modified crops …. Rietbroek recently answered questions about that and other aspects of the Quaker Oats business.
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The Environmental Working Group recently found traces of glyphosate in Quaker products. Is that a concern for the business?
A: Glyphosate has been used since the 1960s. It’s been used for a lot of crops — carrots, peas, quinoa, corn, potatoes. It’s a widely used pesticide that farmers use across the U.S., Canada and Europe …. We obviously make sure our products our safe and comply with the regulations of the FDA, the EPA and the European Union — all of which have very strict guidelines on the presence of traces in products ….
Read full, original article: With oatmeal growing in popularity, Quaker pitches to health-conscious consumers
