General Mills is bringing back two iconic advertising mascots to appear in ads. The Jolly Green Giant debuted in a TV commercial Monday to encourage kids to eat more vegetables. The cartoon-like Cheerios Kid from the 50s and 60s is making an appearance in online ads.

General Mills has been pitching gluten-free products to a niche market. The New York Times Magazine reports in the process the Golden Valley company has become heroes for people with a rare digestive disorder. General Mills has put gluten-free lables on more than 300 of its products and has reformulated others--like Chex cereals, to appeal to people with ciliac disease.

Discussion of company performance was overshadowed at General Mills' annual meeting by shareholder questions about the marriage amendment. General Mills is publicly opposing the Constitutional amendment that would ban same sex marriage. CEO Ken Powell called it a business issue and said the amendment is not good for employees or the state.

Golden Valley-based General Mills will start shipping more than three dozen new yogurt products next month as it tries to revitalize its U.S. yogurt business. Some of the new items include a 100-calorie Yoplait Greek yogurt and Yoplait Fruplait.

A limited number of Cascadian Farm Granola Bars may be linked to a larger recall of peanut products due to salmonella contamination. General Mills announced the recall is a precaution because peanut pieces may have been sourced from Sunland, Inc. The peanut manufacturer has expanded its recall to 240 products after 35 people from 19 states have fallen ill.

The Golden Valley-based food company says the job cuts are part of its "productivity and cost savings plan" designed to improve organizational effectiveness and focus on key growth strategies. A General Mills spokesperson told the Business Journal about half of the cuts will come largely from administrative and support positions in the Twin Cities.

The Minneapolis-based company's non-profit Partners in Food Solutions helps small mills and food processors improve their food quality. MPR reports last year General Mills employees volunteered as many as 12,000 hours to fight hunger in Africa.