Cheerios is a
brand of
breakfast cereal by
General Mills introduced on May 1, 1941 originally named CheeriOats. The name was changed to Cheerios in 1945 because of a trade name dispute with
Quaker Oats.
The name fit the "O" shape of the cereal pieces. In some other countries, including the
United Kingdom, it is a distinct recipe sold by
Cereal Partners under the
Nestlé brand. This was also the case until mid-2009 in Australia and New Zealand, but Cheerios are now branded as an
Uncle Tobys product. In 2008, Cheerios released a line of Snack Mix, in Original and Cheese flavors. All Cheerios shipped to the eastern coast of the United States are manufactured in the General Mills plant in
Buffalo, New York. In 2009, a dispute developed regarding the FDA considering Cheerios an "unapproved new drug" because of its marketing and health claims.