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Excellent news - our petition, urging General Mills to change the design of the original Yoplait cup so it's less hazardous to wildlife, has received over 19,000 signatures, and counting!!! Keep up the good work - encouraging others to sign the change.org petition, HERE.
Want to do more to help this campaign succeed?
We're going to need content for our new web page and video channel - images from people like you.
Maybe you'll host a costume party and have your friends dress up as animals with their heads stuck in Yoplait containers, or organize a neighborhood parade, or a demonstration, or maybe you'll write a poem or make a music video about why General Mills needs to discontinue the hazardous cup design.
Help send a clear message to General Mills.
NO YOPLAIT!
That's what the skunk would say!
So far, we haven't gotten much response from General Mills.
General Mills has answered inquiries with a canned response. Here's a sample from one of our supporters:
Dear Ms. *******:
Thank you for contacting us about the Yoplait container.
Yoplait also wants to protect and preserve wildlife – and we have supported efforts to help educate consumers about responsible disposal of food packaging.
The “Don′t Trash Wildlife” message is to:
Rinse and Recycle. Rinse all recyclable glass and plastic containers to remove any food remnants or odors. Even containers you′re going to throw away should be thoroughly rinsed before disposal to avoid attracting wildlife to your trash.
Cut and Crush.Plastic containers should be cut and/or crushed before you put them in your garbage or recycling bin.
Close and Cover.Make sure plastic food wrap is rinsed and contained inside a closed garage bag. Never throw plastic packaging in open trashcans. Put garbage out for collection in plastic or metal trash containers with secure covers.
We hope you will continue to use and enjoy our products.
Sincerely,
Rhonda Short, Consumer Services
GENERAL MILLS: WE ARE NOT GOING AWAY.
WE ARE NOT GOING TO STOP UNTIL YOU
DO AWAY WITH THE HARMFUL CUP DESIGN!
UNTIL THEN, NO YOPLAIT!
21 comments:
What a ridiculous response! The manufacturer is simply holding itself unaccountable for the havoc reigned as a result of their product design. I never miss a chance to inform the public why I do NOT eat Yoplait.
Oh yeah, and people actually do those things? What universe would that be! Change the containers Yoplait - we cannot count on humans to dispose of things correctly because humans are L-A-Z-Y!
Yoplait, you have spelled out very clearly what consumers can do to help protect the wildlife who are endangered by your containers.
But you haven't spelled out what YOU are willing to do to protect the wildlife.
YOU have an obligation as well. So far you are leaving all the responsibility in the hands of consumers rather than taking any responsibility yourselves. And for that.....Shame on you! I love your yogurt, but I won't be buying any more until I see what YOU are doing to help protect the wildlife who is endangered by your tapered containers.
My coment is I don't have a comment.....Just do it....
That response from yoplait is hilarious. They think they can train everyone to rinse, cut, and crush their containers? I for one am not buying yoplait and I'll spread the word.
Until this campaign, I was totally oblivious to the verbage on the cups about protecting wildlife, and up until now, Yoplait was my "go to" yogurt...no longer, unless they redesign the cups!
And in light of General Mills selfless effort, the government has made legal all previously illegal drugs, after realizing that in order to prevent people from abusing drugs all they have to do is ask them nicely to be more careful.
How many children or even adults will be able to do this! I eat yogurt at work more than at home and have no control how my company handles recyclables or trash! If Yoplait refuses to be accountable and change their packaging, the public can boycott the company. I will not purchase until I see changes. Have already switched to Activia.
GENERAL MILLS, YOUR COMPANY IS GOING TOO SUFFER HUGE LOOSES IN SALES IN ALL CHAIN SUPERMARKESTS ACROSS THE USA AND THE ABROAD, DUE TO THIS ISSUE.. OBVIOUSLY, YOU HAVE NOINTENTION OF CHANGING YOUR PACKAGING, WHICH IN TURN, WILL COST YOUR COMPANY MORE LOOSES THAN GAINS..ANY OTHER COMPANY WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM CHANGING THE PACKAGING. BUT GENERAL MILLS, DOES NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. IGNORING THIS REQUEST IS NOT GOOING TO MAKE THIS ISSUE GO AWAY. WE WILL NOT STOP THE NEGATIVE PROPAGANDA ABOUT YOUR YOPLAIT YOGURT, AND WILL SEE TO IT, THAT PEOPLE STOP BUYING NOT ONLY YOPLAID, BUT ANY GENERAL MILLS PRODUCTS..
I wrote them personally and that is exactly the same response that I received. I wrote back that this would work in a perfect world where all people where responsible. Unfortunately, that is not the case. In low income/ rural areas many people do not have trash service at all. In mine, some let the garbage pile up until it warrants a trip to the dump, of course animals usually get into it first. Others burn theirs. I informed them it is a small design change and until they change it I will not be buying Yoplait. Which I won't buy anyway. I buy organic for several reasons: it doesn't have artificial ingredients, cows aren't given growth hormones, antibiotics, and it tastes so much better, not to mention the large containers get reused for many other purposes.
Ummmm...has General Mills noticed those ridiculous ads that put "do not try this at home" at the bottom? Well, that is because there are a lot of really dumb people in the world who will "try this at home," so what makes them think people will go through three extra steps when disposing of their yogurt cups? Why don't you as the manufacturer of the product you want us all to spend so much money on change your design and go a step further-make them compostable, so when morons throw their garbage on the ground it won't sit there for the next 45 years...
No brainer, JUST CHANGE IT!
No brainer, JUST CHANGE IT!
Their response hasn't changed in years. I wrote to them as a wildlife rehabber around 2000, right after I had removed a Yoplait container from the head of a terrified skunk. It had stumbled into the road while trying to remove the container and was nearly hit several times before I got there. The man who called kept it corralled for me, and watched from a safe distance while I freed it. The current General Mills response sounds almost word for word what I remember from the reply I received.
This started from you, you have to end it YOUplaite...
Yoplait's actually making themselves look very bad by their response! Who's in charge at Yoplait? Someone seriously needs to be fired! Our failure to repeatedly rinse, recycle, cut, crush, close, and cover our YOGURT containers everywhere we go actually makes your faulty product design OUR fault! WE should be more responsible! Oh, well, well done...
General Mills, Just think about it, you could be getting all this positive free advertising and probably boost your sales, but you choose to not care? Every time I go shopping, I get to the dairy isle, the first thing I think of is, How you, GENERAL MILLS, the food giant could make a difference, but GENERAL MILLS continues to ignore their YOPLAIT containers are responsible for many horrific deaths of any animal that can fit their head into the container, they cannot get out, so they are slowly starved of water ,food and suffocated to DEATH. Will you please end the suffering and change the design of the container, if the design of the container means you have to add more yogurt? Great, I have always thought the container was way to small, and as far as the price, I am sure we the people wont mind paying a little more knowing that you did your part in saving the animals.
I just became aware and active to support this effort. General Mills products is now off my list whenever possible. Unfortunately more animals will suffer and die - GM will get the message, the power of the people can work when united. I wrote them yesterday and am sure I will get the same response, but I'll keep writing them and share their irresponsible / indifferent / unconcerned attitude with everyone I can!! I'm very disappointed with them!!
This is needless suffering. Yoplait makes other varieties with wider openings. Do they have so little trust in their consumers, that they believe the consumers would not recognize the product in a modified design?
Not to change this container because of Greed is heartless. Unfortunatley, it only takes one cup to kill an animal. Humans don't read, "how to dispose of the cup"! Not changing the cup is like setting a trap and watching the animals starve and die a slow death. I am sending this link to everyone I know and hope that the internet spreads the word to General Mills.
I have just sent the following message to GM. Note the variety of name brands - perhaps boycotting them all is the only way to make changes in Yoplait.
Many years ago I recall a public effort requesting you redesign the Yoplait container as it represented a danger to wildlife. Obviously this was all in vain as things remain unchanged.
Your own site states Yoplait has daily sales of 27 million servings. I cannot believe that you are concerned that redesigning the container to be more environmentaly responsible will be detrimental to your sales.
I for one do not consume Yoplait but enjoy many of your other products. For now, I will be boycotting your Pillsbury, Betty Ctocker, Bisquik, Gold Medal, Chex, Wheaties, Haagen Das, Nature Valley, and Green Giant brands.
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