Shreddies celebrates 70th anniversary

Nestlé Cereals today announced it is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its iconic Shreddies Original brand in the UK.

The much-loved cereal will enjoy its milestone birthday this year, having been a breakfast staple for families since 1953.

The latest production figures show appetite for the cereal shows no sign of slowing either, with more than a quarter of a million metres of the malty, wheat squares made at the Nestlé factory in Staverton, Wiltshire, each day.

And, whilst each square is made to a specific dimension, following feedback that consumers loved the excitement of finding “extra-large” Shreddies in their breakfast bowls made up of several Shreddies stuck together, Nestlé Cereals has decided to no longer break these apart and has put the cutting tools away!

“Nestlé Cereals is delighted to be celebrating 70 years of Shreddies Original in the UK,” said Sarah Fordy, Head of Marketing at makers of Nestlé Cereals, Cereal Partners UK. “It is testament to the hard work of our team that for more than seven decades consumers have continued to choose our delicious whole grain squares to start their day and get ‘Shreddie for anything’.

“While the shape hasn’t changed, we’ve continued to improve what’s in our Shreddies Original recipe. As part of our reformulation journey since 2003 we have made gradual reductions of salt and sugar, while gradually increasing the whole grain content as part of our commitment to make breakfast better for all. And we’re pleased that this year we get to celebrate the longevity of one of our most iconic brands – something that has only been made possible thanks to the loyalty of Shreddies fans.”

Over the years, Shreddies Original has inspired multiple spin-off flavours, including, Shreddies Frosted, Shreddies Coco and the award-winning Shreddies The Honey One variant, which was named Product of the Year in the Cereal category in a survey of 8,000 people by Kantar, as part of the Product of the Year awards 2023.

Over the decades, the brand has also been behind a number of iconic advertising campaigns – including the well-loved knitting nanas who featured for ten years, “knitting” the individual malty squares. The current campaign, featuring Nick Knowles, was launched in 2021 and is aimed at encouraging British families to be “Shreddie for Anything”.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary and longstanding success of the brand, Nestlé Cereals has updated the classic packaging to mark the occasion and will also be celebrating with Shreddies lovers across social media platforms.