General Mills ranked No. 83 in BetterInvesting’s (BI) list of the “top 100 companies held by our members.” In calendar year 2012, 151 investment clubs owned more than 55,000 shares of General Mills stock. (About 5,000 investment clubs belong to BI.)

It marked the second straight year that General Mills has been listed among BI’s top 100 companies. In 2011, we ranked No. 92.

BI investors tend to be savvy, active stock buyers as well as long-term shareholders. And what better stock to have in your portfolio than General Mills – our stock is up more than 20 percent since the beginning of the year.

You don’t have to take our word for it. In recent weeks, there have been a series of headlines in the financial press about General Mills stock, including:

• Why General Mills still looks scrumptious – Daily Finance
• It’s time to buy General Mills stock. Here’s why – The Motley Fool

General Mills has been partnering with BI since 2008 to get our investment message out to individual investors. We participate in regional BI conferences, provide support for its national conference and advertise in its publications and online.

Through these channels, we’re able to publicize our history of strong financial performance and our superior dividend track record to BI members. Over time, our reputation has grown with this group.

In 2009, for example – one year after we began working with BI – we ranked No. 195 out of BI’s top 200 companies. Since then, we’ve steadily moved up the ranks and into the top 100.

We’re one of three food and beverage companies in the top 100. But we’re at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to name recognition. Everyone knows the Pepsi and Coke brands (two companies also on the top 100 list), but investors don’t always recognize “General Mills.”

That is, until we tell them we own global brands like Cheerios, Yoplait, Pillsbury, Nature Valley, Old El Paso, Betty Crocker and more. That makes it a lot easier for people to follow the investing adage of “buy what you know.”

Add in the fact that we have a history of providing double-digit returns to shareholders, outpacing the broader market over the past 30 years, and have paid a dividend without interruption or reduction for 114 years, and the investment case practically makes itself.

You can learn more about investing in General Mills by visting our Investors page.

He died last week at the age of 96.

Bob was with General Mills from 1968 to 1981, serving as CEO the last four years of his career.

He’s best known, as several articles this week have pointed out, for helping to popularize fish sticks while he was with Gorton’s. General Mills acquired Gorton’s in 1968, and Bob then made his transition into the company.

His time as CEO included our acquisition of the licensing rights to Yoplait yogurt.

“Bob Kinney was a transformational leader for General Mills who had a tremendous impact on our company,” Ken Powell, chairman and CEO, told the Associated Press. “Not only was he successful in business, but also, more importantly, he was both respected and loved by colleagues and peers.”

Bob is survived by his wife, Margaret of Wayzata, Minn., and daughters Jeanie Small of Danville, Calif., and Isabella Keating of Long Lake, Minn.

You can read more about Kinney, and his interesting business career, in these articles:

Minneapolis Star Tribune – “Obituary: E. Robert Kinney, former General Mills CEO”

The Bangor Daily News – “Maine native who created fish sticks, went on to run General Mills, E. Robert Kinney, dead at 96″

NBC News – “The man who gave America fish sticks is dead at 96″

“You have the power to create, nurture, and mold lives. Your voice may be soft, but it carries a sense of determination. Your shoulders may be delicate, but they can carry the burden of a family with ease. Don’t underestimate your strengths and abilities. Be proud of being YOU!”

The message was at the heart of a recent Women’s Day celebration at our office in India.

I was one of more than 230 women employees who attended the event organized by the Women in Global Business Solutions core team in India. The celebration focused on affirming the company’s commitment to the safety, equality and progression of women in the workplace.

The event followed a series of highly publicized assaults on women and came as the Indian Parliament considers a measure to impose harsher penalties on those who attack women. Even riding on public transit can be an unpleasant experience for women in India.

The event also provided an opportunity to educate women on self-defense. Mickey Mehta, India’s leading holistic health and fitness guru, taught us some simple, yet powerful, techniques to help protect ourselves.

Many women shared personal experiences and offered tips to one another during a discussion on the issues facing women in India.

The program was informative and fun. It included a number of entertaining activities, such as 60-second challenges and quiz questions about famous women around the world.

The celebration concluded quietly with two minutes of prayer for all women who have been victims of violence.

I have always felt that General Mills encourages a philosophy of empowering women in every possible way – whether it’s recruiting, developing and helping women grow in their careers, or providing work-life balance.

It’s so wonderful to work for a company that values women and that has so many support groups, such as the Women’s Network, Women Across Finance, Sales Women’s Forum, and Women in Supply Chain, to name just a few.

The Women’s Day Celebration is one example that shows how General Mills truly values the women who work here.

Companies were selected based on responses to nearly 400 pointed questions on representation, hiring, attrition and promotion rates, recruitment, retention, advancement programs and company culture.

Featured in an article on the rankings in Working Mother magazine is General Mills’ own Eliana Wahnon, Global Consumer Insights Manager, who is the subject of our latest “5 questions” interview.

I’ve asked Eliana to share her personal story on what has inspired her to excel at General Mills and relocate her family to Minnesota for a company she believes in.

1. How have the women in your family inspired you in your adult life as a busy working mom?

Wahnon: I come from a family of entrepreneurial and professional women. Both of my grandmothers managed family businesses. I will never forget the many times I saw my grandma “Chala” (our nickname for her) in her 1980s being a tough negotiator with clients and vendors.

My biggest inspiration has always been my mom, she has seamlessly managed to build a solid family (40-year marriage, two kids and four grandkids), while having a successful career as an architect and a lawyer. She has endless energy and never stops investing in her personal and professional growth. Around the time when I was in college, she decided to go to law school while still working full time, and graduated five years later.

She is still active professionally in both careers, and she will tell you she doesn’t ever want to stop. My mom has and still is my greatest supporter, even today when I am in need of help with the kids if I have to travel for work, she will hop on a plane from Venezuela and take care of everything.

For me, seeing these examples in my family inspires me everyday to be the best I can be as a professional, as a wife and most importantly as a mother. My hope is that one day I can serve as inspiration for my kids, so they both can achieve their goals in lives.

2. Describe your current role at General Mills.

Wahnon: I am the Multicultural Insights Manager, and my role is to deliver relevant insights and analytics so the organization can accelerate growth and meet the needs of multicultural consumers. I see this as a yin and yang role.

One side of my role is to build the business case and track our performance to create a sense of urgency behind this opportunity, and on the other side it is about building cultural intuition around multicultural consumers and their lives, making sure their voice is always present in how we market our brands and how we innovate new products.

3. Do you believe that growing up in a multicultural family, and now living in a different country from your native Venezuela, has given you valuable perspective for your current position with General Mills?

Wahnon: I think my life experience, my educational background in engineering and my deep passion for understanding people really prepared me for this role. I come from a very diverse family in Venezuela.

I was raised by a Jewish dad and a Catholic mom and all my grandparents were from different countries – Morocco, Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina. In addition, I studied for 14 years in an American school, Colegio Jefferson, learning all about American culture.

The combination of all these things helped me develop an ability to be very open, curious and accepting of differences because I needed to do it to understand my environment.

My understanding and openness allowed me to help those around me understand the richness of differences and the things that brings us all together.

This translates directly to what I do, which is making sure we embrace and celebrate the differences of all our consumers but also find the links that are universal to us all.

4. What advice would you give to a new mom returning to work? What was helpful for you to keep in perspective?

Wahnon: This is your own journey and your own discovery. I would say listen to your instinct first and foremost, and define clearly integrated priorities.

Be stubborn about the things that matter and extremely flexible on the rest.

For example, I know I won’t ever miss my kids’ teacher conferences, but when it comes to putting dinner together every night  I am very flexible about that. Also don’t be afraid to ask for help, either at work or at home, we have great teams that can support you at work and I rely on my husband and the grandmas to help me at home when needed too.

5. What about the culture of General Mills to you find supportive as a working mom?

Wahnon: I always say that this is the best company to work for because of the people who work here. It is not only the incredible level of talent, but this organization really values you as a person, not just an employee. The company offers many benefits like work flexibility so you can do your job in the best way that fits your life.

Both of my kids went to daycare onsite at General Mills, and that made my transition so much easier when I came back; emotionally, because I could see them throughout the day, and practically because I could easily take care of their needs in those early months.

To me, the most important thing is the empathy you receive from those around you. I remember one day I had a really important meeting and the night before I had to take my son to the emergency room, I was so stressed because we had to reschedule the meeting, and on top of that my son was in the ER. The reaction of those I work with was so incredibly supportive.

My manager and the head of my function not only managed the impact at work so I could focus on my son, but were so supportive on the personal side making sure I had access to everything I needed to deal with my personal emergency. Everything turned out fine, mostly due to the culture of support here at General Mills.

Editor’s note: The full list of Working Mother’s Best Companies for Multicultural Women appears in the June/July issue of Working Mother and online at WorkingMother.com.

The new 15-second spot was inspired by the original, created by mash-up super star Melodysheep, in partnership with YouTube network Machinima.

The original mash-up generated nearly 1 million views and thousands of fan responses and requests to see it morph into a TV ad.

That inspiration led Lucky Charms to work with the creative directors at Pat-Man Studios (creators of the award-winning Indy hit “Captain Cornelius Cartoon’s Cartoon Lagoon”) in partnership with Saatchi & Saatchi and Grammy-award winning composer Jeff Elmassian (of VW’s “The Bark Side” spot) to evolve the video into a 15-second TV ad.

It debuted earlier tonight, during “The Voice” on NBC, and also will appear on “American Idol” and the Billboard Music Awards.

Here’s the new ad:

“We had no idea this video would receive so much fan support and compel us to create a national TV ad around it,” said Greg Pearson, marketing manager for Lucky Charms. “In our recent efforts to reignite our adult fans’ love for the brand, we’ve hit on something that’s bringing joy to families everywhere.”

The original mash-up video from Melodysheep was created as part of the campaign around Lucky Charms’ augmented-reality app, “Chase for the Charms,” in March that had fans on the hunt for Lucky’s pot-o-gold worth $10,000.

The Lucky Charms team invites fans everywhere to visit its Facebook page to let them know what they’d like to see next after this!

What do you think of the commercial?

The Betty Crocker innovation team is gearing up to launch several new products this summer, including cookie mixes, cupcake mixes and frostings.

So we thought it was a great time to invite some of our most passionate fans into the Betty Crocker Kitchens to be the first to bake some of these new products – and to get a behind-the-scenes tour.

In all, we brought in 40 fans who received a short history lesson on the Betty Crocker brand and an opportunity to bake our new cookies and cupcakes.

Included in the group were an aunt with her nephew, a mother and son, and several moms and daughters.

It marked the first time we’ve invited such a large group of consumers into our Kitchens since 1986 when we stopped giving public tours. Several of our guests shared their memories of visiting us more than 25 years ago.

After Betty’s Big Bake Day, the emails and feedback came pouring in.

“I want to again say thank you for a fun morning baking and touring General Mills,” wrote one visitor. “It was a truly great morning and I have been telling all my friends about it.  They all – including my 25-year-old daughter – are very envious!”

We hope to invite more people into our Kitchens in the future.

Betty Crocker has helped generations of families – our motto is to “Help Make Home.” So it only seems natural to bring our most loyal fans into the heart of our home – our Kitchen.

That’s what the Pillsbury team had in mind when they created the “Mom, you make things better” video.

“We thought of our own mothers and the gifts she cherishes most — handmade and simple gestures from her loved ones,” said Brian Hall, associate marketing manager for Pillsbury. “Pillsbury stands for making family moments in many homes.”

This sweet video features original music by Nashville songwriter Andrew Simple.

General Mills wishes all moms everywhere a very happy Mother’s Day. Thanks for everything you do.

With Mother’s Day in the U.S. this Sunday, we asked our Twitter followers and employees to share their memories and the best advice their mom gave them in the kitchen.

Natalie Vandenberghe, of Junction City, Ore., told us, “This is my first Mother’s Day without my beloved mother. Sweet memories of great times in the kitchen and around our table abound.”

Vandenberghe says, “My mother, Sandy, was the perfect hostess. Everyone was welcome at our table. I have so many fond memories and hope that I’m able to pass on some of this wonderful legacy to my own children.”

In terms of baking, she says she definitely had some lessons to learn from her mom. “I remember being admonished for not using a big enough pan or for using a spoon that didn’t have a long enough handle!”

Julie Maletto Fitzpatrick, from Rogers, Ark., tweeted us that the best advice that her mother regularly offers is: “Come over, I’m making dinner.”

“come over I’m making dinner ” “@generalmills: What was the best #cooking or baking advice your mom ever gave you?”

— Julie M. Fitzpatrick (@Juletto) May 1, 2013

That’s one way to do it!

“My mom is the best cook in my entire family,” Maletto Fitzpatrick says. “She learned from her mother, her own grandmothers and her mother-in-law. My mom still cooks all of our big family and holiday meals because why mess with perfection!”

Jody Ratliff, from Georgia, tweeted us her mom’s advice: “It’s okay to cook slowly, it’s better to take more time than to have wasted the effort by burning.”

@generalmills It’s okay to cook slowly, it’s better to take more time than to have wasted the effort by burning.

— Jody Ratliff (@Jodinar1993) May 1, 2013

Ed Fitch, an engineer who works with our frozen foods at General Mills, told us some of the best advice from his mother, below, was about “hidden” vegetables.

“She blends garden zucchini, cucumbers, and peppers into her signature sauces,” says Ed.

Finally, Crystal Ponti (@mommifried) emailed us the advice her mom gave her that she has truly taken to heart. “My mother always said to ‘get creative’ and don’t be afraid to take risks in the kitchen. This has stuck with me to this day.”

Ponti says her creativity works out, for the most part.

“I’m notorious for putting my own spin on recipes and for really pushing the line when it comes to testing new baking methods, throwing something completely unconventional in the crock pot or using a spice where it traditionally does not belong. Naturally, I have some wins and also some huge losses (much to the dismay of my smoke alarm, and my German Shepherd and family). But at the end of the day, I’ve had fun. And that’s what cooking and baking should be all about.”

What did your mom tell you about cooking and baking?

Please share that advice in the comments below.

Happy Mother’s Day!

The second annual Munchies: People’s Choice Food Awards were hosted by Andrew Zimmern, chef and 2013 winner of the James Beard Award for Outstanding TV Personality/Host. Zimmern and a panel of 26 celebrity food experts developed the list of nominees which were then put to a popular vote at Tablespoon.com/TheMunchies.

“It’s been exciting to ignite a passionate food debate and encourage people to support their favorite restaurants, media and chefs by voting,” Zimmern said.

Chicago won big as Best Food City, and Chicago establishments Bar Toma, Butcher and the Burger and Hoosier Mama Pie Co., received The Munchies awards for Best Pizza, Best Burger and Best Bakery.

But cities, restaurants, food institutions and media from around the country came out winners as well.

A donation to Feeding America was made on behalf of the panelists and voters who participated in selecting the Terrific Tastemakers, Best Bites and Delicious Destinations Munchie award winners.

The full list of The Munchies 2013 award winners includes:

Terrific Tastemakers

Best Food Reality TV Show: “Chopped” (Food Network)

Best Food TV Personality: Alton Brown, “Good Eats” (Food Network)

Best Food Magazine: Cooking Light (Time, Inc.)

Best Food Blog or Site: Serious Eats

Best New Cookbook: “Bouchon Bakery,” Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel (Artisan)

Best Food Podcast or Radio Show: “NPR: Food” (NPR)

Best Chef: Hugh Acheson, Empire State South, Atlanta

Best Bites

Best Burger: Butcher and the Burger, Chicago

Best Pizza: Bar Toma, Chicago

Best Taco: La Condesa, Austin, TX

Best Ice Cream: Graeters, Cincinnati

Best BBQ: Oklahoma Joe’s, Kansas City, KS

Best Breakfast: Loveless Cafe, Nashville, TN

Best Late Night Food: Waffle House, Atlanta

Delicious Destinations

Best Local Farmers Market: North Market, Columbus, OH

Best Food Truck: Kogi BBQ Truck, Los Angeles

Best Coffee Shop: Joe, New York

Best Craft Brewery: Rogue Ales, Newport, OR

Best Bakery: Hoosier Mama Pie Co., Chicago

Best Food City: Chicago

Anything that The Munchies experts missed in their nominees this year? What should they include next time?

Editor’s note: For more related to The Munchies, check out our post, “The hottest trends in food from five experts.”

But don’t limit yourself to walks around the block, challenge yourself and take a hike! Annie Parsons, avid hiker and Larabar community host, offers her top five tips to make your hike healthy.

1. You don’t have to head for the hills to make it a hike.

A hike is really just a long, steady walk. You can visit a national park or can hike around your own neighborhood. “I have a nine mile walking loop that I do in the summers, whenever it’s light enough after work,” Annie says. “It keeps me conditioned for longer hikes in the wilderness.” She hikes around neighborhoods and local lakes and, because she lives in Colorado, gets to the mountains whenever she can.

2. Proper fit is important.

“If you’re doing any more than five miles at a time, get properly fitted for shoes and a backpack (if you’re hiking with a backpack),” she says. Day-long or multi-day hikes require a well-fitted pack to ensure proper balance and prevent back, joint and muscle issues.

3. Food is fuel.

Long hikes mean your body is burning a lot of calories, so stay fueled with proper nutrition in mind. Annie’s favorite fuel? “Cheese and crackers, peanut butter and crackers, trail mix, nuts and fruits. it’s always nice to have a little chocolate.

Lärabars have only two to nine ingredients, they don’t freeze, don’t melt and they pack well,” she says. The type of food and the amount you may need is not what you’d need for a typical day in the office. Keep track of calories and ask yourself, “How long has it been since I ate?”

4. Take care of your body.

“Hiking can take a toll on knees, hips and back,” Annie says. Stretch before you start hiking and pay attention to what your body is telling you during your hike. If you’re hiking in high altitudes, you may experience nausea, light-headedness and headaches. Build up to high altitudes, acclimate for a few days, drink lots of water and get a lot of sleep. At the end of strenuous hikes, Annie lays flat on her back and elevates her legs up against a wall at a 90 degree angle to help take the pressure off her joints.

5. Pay attention to altitude.

Signs of altitude sickness include headache, nausea, racing heart and feeling like you’re going to pass out. If you’re experiencing altitude sickness, breathe deeply, sit down, drink a lot of water and take it easy on yourself. Pushing yourself further could make it worse and could lead to an emergency.

“I wish everyone could get out and hike as much as I’m able to,” says Annie. No matter where you live, “Walk as much as you can. Use your body, see things from a different perspective. You don’t need to climb a mountain. Get out at your own pace. Feel your legs work and enjoy whatever nature you can find.”

Editor’s note: Annie’s tips came from this Google+ Hangout video, with Andrea Metcalf. It also features Justin Lichter (35,000 mile hiker) and Jessica Mathews (ACE).