General Mills Tests New Snacks in Stores

The food manufacturer has begun in-store sampling as part of its strategy in developing new items and products.

January 04, 2016

MINNEAPOLIS – As part of its new development research, General Mills is sending employees out into the field to test new snack items at the customer level, American Public Media/Marketplace reports. One late December day, a team of General Mills workers set up a sampling table—sans any GM logos—in a local grocery store to test a snack made from broad, or fava, beans.

The company seeks to rebrand itself as a “Food Should Taste Good” brand, rather than its moniker as “Big Food.” With smaller companies having the ability to find funding and building capacity, larger, more established companies like General Mills have discovered a need to change the way they develop products in order to keep ahead of the competition.

For example, through this “lemonade stand” approach, General Mills hopes to compete more effectively with smaller companies who can bring products from conception to shelf much quicker. The incognito in-store sampling allows the company to hear consumer criticism during development.

“We don’t want it to be this most perfect thing and then be married to that execution,” said Liz O'Hara, global consumer insights manager for snacks at General Mills. “Because then we can come out here and learn what about it is incorrect.”

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