Wheatena
Type | Porridge |
---|---|
Place of origin | United States |
Region or state | New York City |
Created by | George H. Hoyt |
Main ingredients | Wheat |
Wheatena is an American high-
History
Wheatena was created by George H. Hoyt in the late 19th century, when retailers would typically buy cereal (the most popular being cracked wheat, oatmeal, and cerealine) in barrel lots, and scoop it out to sell by the pound to customers. Hoyt, who had found a distinctive process of preparing wheat for cereal, sold his cereal in boxes, offering consumers a sanitary appeal.[1][2]
Hoyt advertised the cereal in
A.R. Wendell bought Health Foods in 1903, and incorporated it as The Wheatena Company that year. In 1907, the company moved to a new plant, dubbed "Wheatenaville", in Rahway, New Jersey. By the mid-1920s, millions of boxes were sold each year.[1]
In the early 1960s, the
Entrepreneur William Stadtlander bought the brand and the Pennsylvania manufacturing plant on October 31, 2001, under the newly formed Homestat Farm, Ltd. of Dublin, Ohio,[1] which as of 2006 manufactures Wheatena and fellow vintage cereals Maypo and Maltex.
In mid-2006, the
Trivia
In the early 1930s, Wheatena sponsored Wheatenaville on NBC's Pacific network. The program debuted September 26, 1932. The cast included Tom Hutchinson, Roberta Hoyt, "who is making her first radio appearance", Elizabeth Mallory and Eddie Firestone, Jr., "also radio novices", Harold Peary, "who is doing several parts", Wilda Wilson Church, Bobbe Deane, and Bert Horton, with Nelson Case as announcer.[5]
Wheatena sponsored 87 episodes of the thrice-weekly
After this initial run, the show was broadcast Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:15–7:30 p.m. on WABC (now WCBS-AM) from August 31, 1936, to February 26, 1937, for an additional 78 episodes. Once again, sung references to spinach were conspicuously absent. Now Popeye would sing, "Wheatena's me diet / I ax ya to try it / I'm Popeye the Sailor Man".[8]
Nutritional analysis
"Nutrition Facts" required by California's Proposition 65:
- Acrylamide – 1057 (ppb)[3]
"Nutrition facts" as they appear on a 2007 box:
Ingredients: toasted crushed whole wheat, wheat bran, wheat germ and calcium carbonate. Serving size: 1/3 cup (dry) Amount per serving:
- Calories160
- Calories from fat 10
- Total fat 1
- Saturated fat 0 grams
- Trans Fat0g
- Polyunsaturated Fat0.5g
- Monounsaturated fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0 milligrams
- Sodium 0 mg
- Potassium 190 mg
- Total carbohydrate 32g
- Dietary fiber 5.5g
- Sugars 0g
- Protein 5g
- Vitamin A 0%
- Vitamin C 0%
- Calcium 20%
- Iron 10%
- Riboflavin 4%
- Niacin10%
- Phosphorus 20%
"Nutrition facts" as they appear on 2006 box
Serving size: 1 cup (141 grams) Amount per serving
- Calories – 503
- Calories from fat – 37
- Total fat – 4.1g
- Saturated fat – 0.6g
- Polyunsaturated fat – 2.1g
- Monounsaturated fat – 0.6g
- Cholesterol – 0 mg
- Sodium – 18 milligrams
- Total carbohydrates – 106.6g
- Dietary fiber – 18.0g
- Sugars – 2.3g
- Protein – 18.5g
%
- Vitamin A – 1%
- Vitamin C – 0%
- Calcium – 4%
- Iron – 28%
Audio
Video
- National Association of Manufacturers: "Cool Stuff Being Made: How Cereal Is Made – Wheatena": video by the Pennsylvania Cable Network
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Memory Lane: 'A Century of Wheatena". Homestat Farm. n.d. Archived from the original on December 29, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
- ^ "The Story of a Pantry Shelf: An Outline History of Grocery Specialties". The Golden Heart of the Wheat. New York: Butterick Publishing. c. 1925. pp. 219–221. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010.
- ^ a b "FDA: Survey Data on Acrylamide in Food: Individual Food Products". Archived from the original on April 3, 2009.
- ^ Heller, Lorraine (July 31, 2006). "Cereal maker sued for acrylamide under Californian law". Food Navigator USA. Archived from the original on June 8, 2010.
- Broadcasting. October 1, 1932. p. 22. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
- ^ Goodwin, Danny (n.d.). "Selling Stuff During the Golden Age of Radio: 'Comic Strip Character Changes Diet for Radio Show'". Old-Time.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2006.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Additional on March 3, 2011. - ^ Shults, Bruce C. "Spotlight on the Popeye Radio Show". Popeye's Thimble Theatre Homepage. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2006.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Additional on March 3, 2011. - ^ a b "Memory Lane: 'Popeye Loves Wheatena!'". Homestat Farm. n.d. Archived from the original on February 9, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
External links
- "'Other' Cereals: Cereals from Lesser-Known Manufacturers". Topher's Breakfast Cereal Character Guide. n.d. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016.