General Mills quarterly profit beats estimates as costs fall

The maker of Cheerios cereal and Yoplait yogurt raised its dividend and forecast earnings for the coming year above Wall Street forecasts. General Mills has responded to weak U.S. sales by cutting jobs, selling plants and exiting stagnant brands with lower profits like Green Giant while investing in gluten-free, organic options like Annie's and cutting back on salt and artificial ingredients in its products. "We see consumer values and ideas about food changing pretty rapidly," Chief Executive K