Captain: Canned and Packaged Foods—Shelf-stable Vegetables: General Mills

Green Giant continues to take a leadership position by investing in research, tools, product innovation and a strong consumer plan.

In April 2011, Green Giant launched a category management platform based on new consumer learnings and best practice principles obtained via various research initiatives. General Mills created a category scorecard for retailers to have best practice insights in areas such as assortment, variety and shelving.

Green Giant is committed to bringing innovation to the shelf to drive traffic and provide retailer solutions. Slated to arrive in January, SteamCrisp corn is vacuum-packed and steam-cooked in a can; it contains the same amount of product as a standard can of corn but uses less water and packaging, so it’s friendlier to the environment. Green Giant also recently unveiled new packaging to allow for a stronger consumer communication for holiday recipes, and will also be adding two four-pack items that are expected to bring a significant incremental lift.

To better reach the consumer and to drive sales and store traffic, brand media spending for Green Giant has increased by 212 percent over the past three fiscal years. This has helped Green Giant brand equity grow by five points between 2009 and 2010.

General Mills brings its retailer partners solutions to drive profitable growth through research, category management, innovation and consumer support. With its dedicated consumer investment plan, the company has positioned this category and its retail partners for years of growth.