Concerning Details About Quaker Oats Consumers Need To Be Aware Of

Quaker Oats is the quintessential simple breakfast. When stumbling out of bed half asleep, it's easy to pour a bowl of oats from that iconic cylinder tube, dig into some Life cereal, or just grab a Chewy granola bar. But there's a lot more to that smiling Quaker printed on every box than his eyes let on. The storied history of this popular brand isn't always as sweet as a bowl of brown sugar oatmeal.

Quaker Oats Finds a Market

When one of the eventual founders of Quaker Oats, Ferdinand Schumacher, immigrated to America, he noticed that oat-eating customs were a bit different in his new home. In 19th-century Germany, people regularly ate oats and porridge, but in the United States, the food served a different purpose.

Horses

Prior to Ferdinand's arrival, oats were pretty much reserved for feeding horses and livestock. American families scoffed at the idea of eating what their animals ate. But then the Civil War erupted, and the Union needed cheap and effective ways to feed troops. Ferdinand found a way to make oats a little more palatable.

Glass Jars

His company, German Mills American Oatmeal Company, started selling oats in glass jars — the eventual inspiration for the now-iconic cardboard tubes. Additionally, he started crushing and steaming the oats, eliminating a little bit of flavor but making his product cook way faster. For soldiers on the move, rolled oats in a jar were a perfect, cheap way to stay fed. But regular Americans still didn't want to eat horse food.

A Mascot

At the time, there were other oat companies in America, including Quaker Mill Company, founded in 1877 by Henry Seymour. Seymour determined his product needed a face and opted to use a "Quaker," a practitioner of a Christian sect. This, he figured, would convey a message of "honesty, integrity, purity and strength." Getting the right look for the mascot took some serious brainstorming.