Kellogg’s CEO, Gary Pilnick, advised shoppers, who are funneling more of their paychecks toward rising grocery bills than they have in the past three decades, to just eat cereal instead.
“The cereal category has always been quite affordable and usually a great destination when consumers are under pressure,” Pilnikan said in an interview with CNBC last week.
“If you think about the cost of cereal for a family relative to what they would otherwise do, it will be much more affordable.”
CNBC host Carl Quintanilla asked the Kellogg’s chief if encouraging cash-strapped customers to eat cereal for dinner could “land the wrong way,” to which a jovial Pilnik replied, “Actually, it’s landing really well right now.”
“Cereal for dinner is something that’s probably more trendy now,” Pilnick insisted during an interview previously reported by CNN, noting that a bowl of cereal with milk and fresh fruit is under $1.
“We would expect [the trend] to continue as this user is under pressure.’
Kellogg’s — behind popular breakfast staples like Corn Flakes, Froot Loops, Frosted Mini Wheats and Raisin Tric, among others — has been banking on the breakfast-for-dinner trend taking hold since 2022, when it initially launched a campaign to get Americans to add the infamous sweet food to their turn at dinner.
The push, which touts the motto “give the chicken a night off,” claims that in addition to its low cost, the dinner cereal is a low-prep, low-mess option, according to a press release at the time.
However, Pilnik’s prediction missed the mark and viewers took to social media to share their disdain at having to replace more expensive options that include meat and vegetables with grains.
Another suggests that Kellogg’s initiative takes advantage of the struggles of Americans, who according to the Department of Agriculture data will give up 11.4% of their disposable income to buy food in 2022 – the most since 1999 . over here.
According to the USDA, home food prices rose another 5% last year compared to 2022 — or double the historical average rate at which retail food price inflation rose annually between 2003 and 2022.
“Anything @KelloggsUS can do to make more money from people in a time of crisis. I wonder what their CEO has for dinner? Shmm… Prices go up all day without a care. Shame shame,” wrote another X user.
“We live in a world where families have to choose cereal for dinner to save money. Sad,” another user shared on Monday.
For reference, Pilnick’s annual compensation includes $1 million in base salary and more than $4 million in incentive compensation, according to a September 2023 Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
“Everyone rich instead,” suggested another viewer on Instagram, while another commenter chimed in: “Hearing rich people marketing poverty is wild.”
Others, meanwhile, have dismissed the idea of cereal for breakfast because of its low nutritional value.
“Cereal for breakfast, lunch or dinner is garbage. Learn more about nutrition for your own health,” user X wrote.
“Hey everyone, how about a big bowl of empty calories for dinner?” joked another.
For reference, a bowl of Rice Krispies—Kellogg’s most popular offering, according to data Google shared with Food & Wine—a 1.5-cup serving of toasted rice contains 150 calories, 36 grams of carbs and four grams of added sugars.
A 12-ounce box of Rice Krispies cereal sells for $3.99 at Target or $3.68 at Walmart, according to the retailers’ respective websites.
According to data from the US Department of Agriculture, the rate of increase in prices of cereals and bakery products was 8.4% last year.
Kellogg’s representatives did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
