Editing Breakfast cereal (section)

==Background==
Cereal grains, namely [[porridge]] (and especially [[oatmeal]]), became an important breakfast component in North America. [[Barley]] was a commonly used grain, though other grains and [[yellow pea]]s could be used. In many modern cultures, porridge is still eaten as a breakfast dish.

===Early America===
[[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]]s had found a way to make ground corn palatable, later called ''[[grits]]'' (from the Old English word ''grēot'', meaning "gravel").<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/grit|title=grit {{!}} Origin and meaning of grit by Online Etymology Dictionary|website=www.etymonline.com|language=en|access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> ''[[Hominy]]'' was another preparation. While this became a staple in the southern U.S., grits never gained popularity in the northern states.<ref>{{cite book|title=An Irresistible History of Southern Food: Four Centuries of Black Eyed Peas, Collard Greens, and Whole Hog Barbecue|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zqWSQ6BkJAcC&pg=PA57|year=2011|publisher=The History Press|pages=57–58|isbn = 9781609491932}}</ref> Food reformers in the 19th century called for cutting back on excessive meat consumption at breakfast. They explored numerous vegetarian alternatives. Late in the century, the [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventist]]s based in Michigan made these food reforms part of their religion, and  non-meat breakfasts were featured in their [[Sanitarium (healthcare)|sanitariums]] and led to new breakfast cereals.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Du Puis EM | year = 2007 | title = Angels and Vegetables: A Brief History of Food Advice in America | jstor = 10.1525/gfc.2007.7.3.34 | journal = Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture | volume = 7 | issue = 3| pages = 34–44 | doi = 10.1525/gfc.2007.7.3.34 }}</ref>

===Cooked oatmeal===
[[Ferdinand Schumacher]], a German [[immigrant]], began the cereals revolution in 1854 with a hand oats grinder in the back room of a small store in [[Akron, Ohio]]. His [[German Mills American Oatmeal Company]] was the nation's first commercial [[oatmeal]] manufacturer. He marketed the product locally as a substitute for breakfast pork. Improved production technology (steel cutters, porcelain rollers, improved hullers), combined with an influx of German and Irish immigrants, quickly boosted sales and profits.

[[File:Quaker Oats (3092914571).jpg|thumb|upright|A [[Quaker Oats]] advertisement circa 1900]]
In 1877, Schumacher adopted the Quaker symbol, the first registered trademark for a breakfast cereal. The acceptance of "[[horse]] food" for human consumption encouraged other entrepreneurs to enter the industry. [[Henry Parsons Crowell]] started operations in 1882, and John Robert Stuart in 1885.<ref>Joe Musser, ''The Cereal Tycoon: Henry Parsons Crowell: Founder of the Quaker Oats Co.'' (2002)</ref> Crowell cut costs by consolidating every step of the processing—grading, cleaning, hulling, cutting, rolling, packaging, and shipping—in one factory operating at [[Ravenna, Ohio]]. Stuart operated mills in Chicago and [[Cedar Rapids, Iowa]]. Stuart and Crowell combined in 1885 and initiated a price war. After a fire at his mill in Akron, Schumacher joined Stuart and Crowell to form the Consolidated Oatmeal Company.

The American Cereal Company ([[Quaker Oats]], but see below) created a cereal made from oats in 1877, manufacturing the product in Akron, Ohio.<ref>[http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=833&nm=American-Cereal-Company "American Cereal Company"], Ohio History Central</ref> Separately, in 1888, a trust or holding company combined the nation's seven largest mills into the American Cereal Company using the Quaker Oats brand name. By 1900, technology, entrepreneurship, and the "Man in Quaker Garb"—a symbol of plain honesty and reliability—gave Quaker Oats a national market and annual sales of $10 million (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|10|1900|r=-1|fmt=c}} million today).<ref>Arthur F. Marquette,  ''Brands, Trademarks, and Good Will: The Story of the Quaker Oats Company'' (1967)</ref>

Early in the 20th century, the Quaker Oats Company (formed in 1901 to replace the American Cereal Company) ventured into the world market. Schumacher, the innovator; Stuart, the manager and financial leader; and Crowell, the creative merchandiser, advertiser, and promoter, doubled sales every decade. [[Alexander P. Anderson]]'s steam-pressure method of shooting rice from guns created [[Rice Krispies|puffed rice]] and [[puffed wheat]]. Crowell's intensive advertising campaign in the 1920s and 1930s featured promotions with such celebrities as [[Babe Ruth]], [[Max Baer (boxer)|Max Baer]], and [[Shirley Temple]]. Sponsorship of the popular ''[[Rin Tin Tin|Rin-Tin-Tin]]'' and ''[[Sergeant Preston of the Yukon]]'' radio shows aided the company's expansion during the depression. Meat rationing during World War II boosted annual sales to $90 million (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|.090|1945|r=1|fmt=c}} billion today), and by 1956 sales topped $277 million (${{inflation|US|.277|1956|r=1|fmt=c}} billion today). By 1964 the firm sold over 200 products, grossed over $500 million (${{inflation|US|.500|1964|r=1|fmt=c}} billion today), and claimed that eight million people ate Quaker Oats each day. Expansion included the acquisition of [[Aunt Jemima]] Mills Company in 1926, which continues as a leading brand of pancake mixes and syrup, the sport drink [[Gatorade]] in 1983, and in 1986, the Golden Grain Company, producers of [[Rice-A-Roni]] canned lunch food. In 2001 Quaker Oats was itself bought out by [[PepsiCo]].<ref>Marquette,  ''Brands, Trademarks, and Good Will: The Story of the Quaker Oats Company'' (1967)</ref>