Kashi (company)

Kashi
Subsidiary
Genre Breakfast cereals, snacks, entrées, and waffles
Founded 1984
Founder Philip and Gayle Tauber
Headquarters Solana Beach, California, U.S.
Number of employees
 70[1]
Parent Kellogg Company
Slogan 7 whole grains on a mission
Website www.kashi.com

Kashi /ˈkæʃi/ is an American food company. Founded in October 1984 by Philip and Gayle Tauber,[2] the La Jolla–based company sought a nutritionally balanced breakfast and began experimenting with different whole grains and seeds. Kashi was purchased by Kellogg Company in 2000 and was independently operated in La Jolla, California[2] until March 2013 when the Kellogg Company moved Kashi headquarters to Battle Creek, Michigan. In March of 2015, Kashi re-established its headquarters in Solana Beach, California, just a few miles from their previous headquarters in La Jolla.[3]

After considering names such as "Gold'n Grains" and "Graino", the company decided on Kashi, a synthesis of "kashruth" (kosher) and "Kushi", the last name of the Japanese couple who introduced the macrobiotic dietary regimen to America.[2]

Kashi specializes in natural foods including breakfast cereals, energy bars, crackers, frozen entrées including pizza and breakfast foods, as well as snack foods. The company advertises its products as a blend of seven whole grains and sesame and emphasizes high protein and fiber content.

Controversies

In April 2012, a grocer in Rhode Island found out Kashi used genetically engineered, non-organic ingredients, and pulled Kashi products from his store's shelves and later posted pictures and notification through social networking tools. Some customers began to call into question Kellogg's use of the term "natural" on Kashi product labels.[4] Kashi's general manager responded by stating, "The FDA has chosen not to regulate the term 'natural.'"[4]

In 2012, the parent company of Kashi, the Kellogg Company, donated $790,000 to the NO on Prop. 37 campaign, which asked voters if they wanted foods containing genetically modified organisms to be labeled in California.[5][6]

In 2015, the Kashi Heart to Heart blueberry cereal was re-labeled with the statement "Organic Recipe". The box does not say the cereal contains all-organic ingredients, however. It does state that the cereal contains organic oat fiber. It does not state whether the other ingredients are organic. The cereal now contains few blueberries. It contains "natural flavor" and provides the "taste" of blueberries. The cereal no longer contains whole red wheat, buckwheat, whole wheat, barley and rye. The cereal no longer supplies vitamins A, C, E, B6, B12, zinc, and folic acid. The cereal contains less protein (5 g) and fiber (3 g), and more fat (2.5g), than previously (6 g protein, 4 g fiber, 2 g fat) (compare [7] with [8]).

References

  1. ↑ "Kashi: Meet Us". Kashi Company. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 "Kashi: Meet Us: History". Kashi Company. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Kellogg installs new leadership for cereal Kashi businesses – Baking Business – Baking Industry News and Opinions".
  4. 1 2 Weise, Elizabeth (April 29, 2012). "Kashi cereal's 'natural' claims stir anger". USA Today. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Could Prop. 37 Kill Monsanto's GM Seeds?". Mother Jones.
  6. ↑ "California Proposition 37, Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food (2012)".
  7. ↑ https://www.kashi.com/our-foods/cold-cereal/kashi-heart-to-heart-oat-flakes-blueberry-clusters-cereal
  8. ↑ "Kashi Heart to Heart Oat Flakes & Blueberry Clusters". Cereal Wednesday.

External links


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