Oreo O's is a breakfast cereal that consists of Oreo-flavored O-shaped pieces of cereal. It was conceived of by an Ogilvy & Mather NYC advertising employee and introduced in 1997 by Post Cereals. In 2001 the cereal got a new recipe with real creme filling.[4][5] A variation of Oreo O's called Extreme Creme Taste Oreo O's contained Oreo filling-flavored marshmallows.[6]

Oreo O's
Post Oreo O's, with milk
Product typebreakfast cereal
OwnerPost Consumer Brands
Kraft Foods Inc. (1997–2012)
Mondelez International
(2012–present)
CountryOreo Headquarters, New Jersey
Introduced1997 (1st run, globally)
2003 (South Korea)
2016 (2nd run, South Korea)
2017 (2nd run, globally)
Discontinued2007 (1st run, globally)
2014 (1st run, South Korea)
MarketsWorldwide (1997–2007, 2017–)
South Korea (2003–2014, 2016–)
[1][2]
Oreo O's
Nutritional value per 1 cup (30 g)
Energy120 kcal (500 kJ)
21.52
Sugars11.45
Dietary fiber1.49
1.5
Saturated0.43
Trans0
1.28
VitaminsQuantity
%DV
Vitamin A equiv.
2%
15 μg
Vitamin C
30%
25 mg
MineralsQuantity
%DV
Calcium
0%
1 mg
Iron
77%
10 mg
Potassium
2%
49.41 mg
Sodium
9%
128.25 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Cholesterol0
Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults.[3]

The cereal was launched in 1997[4] and discontinued in 2007 everywhere other than South Korea.[7] In May 2017, Post Cereals announced that it would restart production of Oreo O's starting June 23 and continue production indefinitely.[8]

Advertising edit

Several advertisements were run on television for Oreo O's during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The variation Extreme Crème Oreo O's had its own television commercial starring the "Créme Team," a troupe of humanoid marshmallows sporting sunglasses, in 2001. The advertisement promoted the Extreme Crème Oreo O's variation as more chocolatey in taste and creamier.

Discontinuation edit

The cereal was a joint product from Post Cereals and Kraft Foods, which allowed both companies to share the rights, distribution and profits after 1997. The cereal was very successful[clarification needed] when it came to sales, and parental approval as a suitable breakfast food. In 2007, both companies ceased co-branding, which made the cereal impossible to produce. Kraft foods owned the copyrights to the name Oreo, yet Post owned the copyrights to the cereal recipe itself. Neither company wished to relinquish either rights; therefore forcing the cereal to become discontinued worldwide.[9]

International availability edit

Due to an international loop hole with the rights of Oreo O's, they were only produced and available in South Korea, with boxes of the product being available for international purchase on eBay from third-party sellers for well over $10.[7] Korean food manufacturer Dongsuh Foods[10] was established as a joint venture of General Foods and Dongsuh Companies Inc., and had distribution rights to produce Post Foods cereals in Korea. When Kraft Foods acquired General Foods, half of Dongsuh Foods' stock automatically became property of Kraft, thus making Dongsuh Foods the only company with both licenses required to make Post Foods and Oreo O's. The product was recalled in 2014 due to Dongsuh having intentionally diluted E. coli-contaminated product with normal product.[11][12][13] In September 2016, Dongsuh resumed selling Oreo O's within South Korea when it spun off from General Foods.[14]

Experimental off-brand and worldwide return edit

In early 2017, a subsidiary company of Post, Malt-O-Meal Cereals, continued selling the cereal in the United States as a market test. The only differences were that the marshmallows from the 2001 version were not included, the cereal contained artificial flavors and it did not use the Oreo name for licensing reasons. Instead, the cereal was called "Cookies & Cream" and was sold in bags in many Walmart stores.[15] Due to high sales and a marketing deal made by Walmart, Post announced that Nabisco would once again co-brand the cereal. Soon afterward, Oreo O's were re-released with their original 1997 recipe worldwide as a Walmart Exclusive Product, including the United States on June 23.[16] As of 2018, the cereal was available to all grocery stores. On June 17, 2019, Walmart started selling the cereal with the marshmallows from the 2001 recipe as an exclusive product. Instead of being labeled "Extreme Créme Oreo O's", it was labeled "Mega Stuf Oreo O's".

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ 식품의약품안전처. "보도자료 > 언론홍보자료 > 알림". www.MFDS.go.kr. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  2. ^ 반동결]니아 [@MrNia__] (September 3, 2016). "구라아니고 오레오 오즈 다시판매합니당pic.twitter.com/mvFV7o87dG" (Tweet) (in Korean). Retrieved July 11, 2017 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ United States Department of Agriculture; Agricultural Research Service (2019). "FoodData Central". Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  4. ^ a b Pioneer Press: Search Results (subscription required)
  5. ^ Spokesman.com | Archives (subscription required)
  6. ^ Guilfoil, John M. (October 25, 2011). "20 foods and drinks you'll probably never have again". Blast Magazine. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  7. ^ a b "[Post] Taste of Memories, Oreo O's with Marshmallow Bits : 250g (8,8oz)". eBay. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  8. ^ Vilas-Boas, Eric (May 31, 2017). "Holy Crap, Oreo O's Are Making a Big Comeback". Thrillist. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  9. ^ "Oreo O's Cereal Is Still Available, but Only in This Country". Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  10. ^ "Dongsuh Foods". Dongsuh.com. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  11. ^ SBS CNBC, 동서식품 '대장균 시리얼' 알고도 재판매…뻔뻔함 어디까지? Archived 2014-11-01 at the Wayback Machine ,2014-10-14
  12. ^ 동서식품, 대장균 검출 시리얼 새 제품에 섞어 판매, 국민일보 2014-10-14
  13. ^ 대장균 시리얼 재활용, 동서식품 입장 들어보니… 해럴드경제 2014-10-14.
  14. ^ "미국서 대히트 한 '오레오 오즈' 재판매…누리꾼들 "격하게 먹고싶다"". 6 September 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  15. ^ "COMING SOON: Malt-O-Meal Cookies & Cream Cereal". 5 January 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  16. ^ "Oreo O's, your favorite 90's cereal, is making a comeback". Retrieved June 3, 2017.

Further reading edit