Kellogg to Expand Soy Category By Acquiring Morningstar Farms.

Soy-based meat analogs are going to be big, figures Kellogg Co. That's why the company, best known for cereals, recently acquired the manufacturer of Morningstar Farms, a line of soy-based items ranging from burgers to Buffalo wings.

Worthington Foods has achieved a 44% share of the meatless category with the line, which includes products such as Grillers, Spicy Black Bean Burgers, Garden Veggie Patties, Harvest Burgers, Breakfast Patties, Breakfast Links, Breakfast Strips, Veggie Dogs, Corn Dogs, Buffalo Wings, Chik Nuggets, Chik Patties, Scramblers and more.

"One of Kellogg Company's strategic initiatives is to accelerate growth of Morningstar Farms by aggressively investing in new product innovation, sales, marketing and supply chain effectiveness," said Stephen Benoit, Kellogg's president for natural and functional foods. "Worthington Foods has the strongest position in the meat alternative market."

Another factor in the acquisition is government approval for health claims. On Oct. 25, the Food and Drug Administration approved a health claim for soy that states getting 25 grams of soy protein dally, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

The soy foods market is expected to grow dramatically in the coming years as a result of the recent attention on the health benefits of soy. According to ACNielsen reports, the meat-flee category was up 19% for the first nine months of 1999. Meatless food sales in US supermarkets, which reached $245 million in 1998, were projected to approach $300 million in 1999.

Kellogg is the world's leading producer of ready-to-eat cereal and a manufacturer of other convenience foods, including frozen waffles.

For Breakfast in a Real Hurry, It's Pick-Up Stix from Murry's

Breakfast may never be the same again, now that frozen pancake and sausage Pick-Up Stix have been launched by Murry's, Inc., Upper Marlboro, Maryland, USA. And they're just one of four recent introductions by the company formerly known as Murry's Steaks.

Pancake and sausage Pick-Up Stix, sausages wrapped in pancake batter, join a previous Murry's breakfast item, French toast sticks. Other new introductions are Cheese and Beef patties, homestyle Salisbury steak patties, and Mac 'N Cheese nuggets -- all of which can go from the freezer to the table in minutes.

One thing all four new products have in common: they're targeted at children -- and parents trying to please them. Cheese is actually in the burgers, rather than just on them, in the Cheese and Beef patties. The Salisbury Steak patties feature a homestyle blend of herbs and spices, while the Mac 'N Cheese nuggets are bites of macaroni and cheese in a crunchy breading.