General Mills to produce low-sugar cereal versions

MINNEAPOLIS (Dow Jones/AP) — General Mills Inc. said Thursday it plans to offer low-sugar versions of three of its kids' cereals — Trix, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Cocoa Puffs.

The new cereals will use a combination of sugar and Splenda, a sweetener with no calories, to reduce the amount of sugar by 75 percent, the company said. The new products are expected to be available by mid-July.

The Minneapolis-based food company said the move came "in response to changing customer needs."

The new cereals are expected to cost the same as equivalent-size packages of the original cereals. The reduced-sugar versions, however, will be a little more expensive on an ounce-by-ounce basis because they are lighter, the company said.

General Mills, with revenue of $10.51 billion for the year ended May 25, also makes Cheerios cereal, Yoplait yogurt and Betty Crocker baking mixes.