General Mills INC: Identification a Business Challenge and a Key Public You Want to Reach

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HOMEWORK3
The Company
The company discussed in the paper is known as "General Mills," an American food company. General Mills INC. is among the U.S. leading corporations involved in producing packaged consumer foods, especially flour, ready to eat cereals, snacks, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, refrigerated and frozen dough products, among other foods. General Mills usually sells its products directly to its clients through distribution arrangements or the use of brokers. Over the years, their foods and products have been popular among consumers in the U.S. Nevertheless, the continued shift among consumers to healthier foods is a challenge General Mills and other companies in the food and beverage industry have to overcome to survive.
The Challenge
In recent years, most consumers have shifted their attention to purchasing food products that they deem to enhance their health and well-being. This is because consumers are increasingly concerned about the products in their foods. In this sense, most of them have begun purchasing food products that do not contain artificial ingredients, GMOs, or pesticides. As a result, the popularity of fast foods and drinks by companies like General Mills has significantly decreased due to the continued consumption shift. This has led to most food and beverage companies announcing the removal of artificial colors and flavors from the products. Nevertheless, this is a dilemma for General Mills to ensure that it does not lose its visual appeal or the flavors that have contributed to its popularity and success. As such, in the coming years, the art of balancing health well-being and product appeal (due to colors, ingredients, and flavors) will be a huge challenge for General Mills.
The Public
Most people who are likely to be affected by the continued dilemma is young people and working-class citizens. According to Winpenny et al. (7), about 37% of Americans are regular consumers of fast foods, most of them being between 20 and 39. More so, the consumption of fast foods is also prevalent among middle and high-income earners. The high consumption of these foods can be attributed to lack of time due to tight schedules, low prices, and availability influence fast food consumption (Winpenny et al., 1). Additionally, most consumers of these foods can order to deliver fast foods into their homes or workplaces through online platforms. In this sense, these are the demographic, psychographic, and technographic aspects related to the consumption of the ‘unhealthy’ food products associated with companies such as General Mills.
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