• August 23, 2011

The Grocery Manufacturers Association has chosen Batter Buster and General Mills as this year's winners of its CPG Award for Innovation and Creativity. Winners must make a "significant impact on the industry's knowledge base," as well as demonstrate innovation.

Austin, Tex.-based new product Batter Blaster was awarded for creating an entire new category with its organic pancake and waffle batters. The products come in a whipped cream-style, pressurized can and have just 90 calories per serving, making a major change in many families' healthy morning routines, said the judges.

General Mills received its award for developing and implementing a biomass burner that uses leftover oat hulls to produce more than 90% of the steam needed to heat the plant that produces the oat flour used in making Cheerios and other products. The burner nearly eliminated the need for natural gas at the plant and reduced its carbon footprint by 21 percent.