Buc Wheats was a boxed
breakfast cereal
Cereal, formally termed breakfast cereal (and further categorized as cold cereal or warm cereal), is a traditional breakfast food made from processed cereal grains. It is traditionally eaten as part of breakfast, or a snack food, primarily in ...
produced by
General Mills
General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
from 1971 until the early 1980s. The cereal consisted of toasted
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
flakes (originally made with
buckwheat
Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), or common buckwheat, is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as '' Fago ...
) with a sweet
maple
''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...
-flavored glaze baked onto them. Late in its production, the maple glaze was replaced with a
honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
flavored glaze, which was derided by most customers; sales fell and General Mills discontinued production of the cereal around 1983.
Buc Wheats Cereal
from MrBreakfast.com
Nutritional value
According to the 1970s cereal boxes, Buc Wheats cereal was highly nutritious and contained 100% of the minimum daily requirements for vitamins
A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nutrien ...
and iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
.
About
Buc Wheats cereal contained wheat flakes mixed with buckwheat and had the appearance of bran flakes, having a similar color and texture, but were lighter in weight. Buc Wheats was coated with a maple syrup glaze, giving it a unique flavor. Later in production, General Mills replaced the original maple glaze with a honey glaze. The new Buc Wheats were said to taste like a sweet and sticky bowl of Wheaties
Wheaties is an American brand of breakfast cereal that is made by General Mills. It is well known for featuring prominent athletes on its packages and has become a cultural icon in the United States. Originally introduced as Washburn's Gold Meda ...
. Most consumers did not like the change.
Advertisement
In 1974 Steve Karmen
Steve Karmen (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer, most famous for several jingles. Among his better known works are the New York State song, "I Love New York", the jingle Here Comes the King for Budweiser, the Hershey's chocolate jingle ...
, a New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
composer, produced a catchy little song for Buc Wheats titled, "Feelin' Like A Million Bucks".
References
{{reflist
General Mills cereals
Products introduced in 1971
1982 disestablishments