Cereal for Dinner

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Cereal for Dinner is a promotional campaign by Kellogg's that began in 2022 to encourage the consumption of Breakfast cereal for dinner.

The campaign was criticized following a television interview with Kellogg's CEO Gary Pilnick who suggested that cash-strapped consumers should eat cereal for dinner to save money, dismissing the underlying concerns of food insecurity and inflation. [1] [2] [3] The suggestion was compared to the historical "let them eat cake" remark as "let them eat cereal". [4] [5] Their comments led to suggestions of a product boycott. [6] Despite the criticism, the campaign is ongoing. [7]

Dieticians have suggested that healthy cereal can be consumed at dinner. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breakfast cereal</span> Processed food made from grain

Breakfast cereal is a breakfast food made from processed cereal grains. It is traditionally eaten as part of breakfast, or a snack food, primarily in Western societies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corn flakes</span> Type of breakfast cereal

Corn flakes, or cornflakes, are a breakfast cereal made from toasting flakes of corn (maize). Originally invented as a breakfast food to counter indigestion, it has become a popular food item in the American diet and in the United Kingdom where over 6 million households consume them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raisin bran</span> Breakfast cereal containing raisins and bran flakes

Raisin bran is a breakfast cereal containing raisins and bran flakes. Raisin bran is manufactured by several companies under a variety of brand names, including the popularly known Kellogg's Two Scoops Raisin Bran, General Mills' Total Raisin Bran, and Post Cereals' Raisin Bran. Though Raisin Bran is generally perceived as a healthier alternative to more sugary cereals, most popular brands of raisin bran contain high amounts of sugar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Harvey Kellogg</span> American physician

John Harvey Kellogg was an American businessman, inventor, physician, and advocate of the Progressive Movement. He was the director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan, founded by members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It combined aspects of a European spa, a hydrotherapy institution, a hospital and high-class hotel. Kellogg treated the rich and famous, as well as the poor who could not afford other hospitals. According to Encyclopædia Britannica, his "development of dry breakfast cereals was largely responsible for the creation of the flaked-cereal industry."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kellogg's</span> American multinational food company

Kellanova, formerly known as the Kellogg Company and commonly known as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, US. Kellanova produces and markets convenience foods and snack foods, including crackers and toaster pastries, cereal, and markets their products by several well-known brands including the Kellogg's brand itself, Rice Krispies Treats, Pringles, Eggo, and Cheez-It, along with cereal internationally such as Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, Frosties and Coco Pops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Keith Kellogg</span> American businessman (1860–1951)

Will Keith Kellogg was an American industrialist in food manufacturing, who founded the Kellogg Company, which produces a wide variety of popular breakfast cereals. He was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and practiced vegetarianism as a dietary principle taught by his church. He also founded the Kellogg Arabian Ranch, which breeds Arabian horses. Kellogg was a philanthropist and started the Kellogg Foundation in 1934 with a $66-million donation.

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Rice Krispies is a breakfast cereal produced by WK Kellogg Co for the United States, Canadian, and Caribbean markets and by Kellanova for the rest of the world. Rice Krispies are made of crisped rice. When milk is added to the cereal the rice tends to collapse, creating the characteristic "snap, crackle and pop" sounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special K</span> WK Kellogg Co brand of cereal

Special K is an American brand of breakfast cereal and meal bars originally manufactured by Kellogg's. The cereal was introduced to the United States in 1955. It is made primarily from grains such as lightly toasted rice, wheat and barley. Special K used to be marketed primarily as a low-fat cereal that can be eaten to help one lose weight. Following the 2023 spinoff of Kellogg's North American cereal division, the cereal is manufactured by WK Kellogg Co for the United States, Canada, and Caribbean markets. The former Kellogg's, renamed Kellanova, continues to manufacture the cereal for the rest of the world and the meal bars for all markets.

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Tony the Tiger is the advertising cartoon anthropomorphic tiger mascot for Frosted Flakes breakfast cereal, appearing on its packaging and advertising. After the original Kellogg Company spun off its North American cereal business in late 2023, the mascot is owned by WK Kellogg Co in the U.S., Canada, and Caribbean markets and by Kellanova in the rest of the world. Tony has also been the mascot for related cereals such as Tony's Cinnamon Krunchers and Tiger Power. Since Tony's debut in 1952, the character has spanned several generations and has become a breakfast cereal icon.

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Honey Smacks is a sweetened puffed wheat breakfast cereal made by Kellogg's, noted for its high sugar content. It was introduced in the early 1950s.

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Grape-Nuts is a brand of breakfast cereal made from flour, salt and dried yeast, developed in 1897 by C. W. Post, a former patient and later competitor of the 19th-century breakfast food innovator Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. Post's original product was baked as a rigid sheet, then broken into pieces and run through a coffee grinder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cocoa Krispies</span> Cocoa flavored version of Rice Krispies

Cocoa Krispies is a breakfast cereal produced by WK Kellogg Co, coming both as a boxed cereal and as a snack bar with a 'dried milk' covered bottom. It is a cocoa flavored version of Rice Krispies that contains real chocolate. In Canada, Rice Krispies Cocoa is their variant of the cereal, with a lighter chocolate flavor. Off-brand "coco krispies" are sold by other companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shredded wheat</span> Breakfast cereal made from whole wheat

Shredded wheat is a breakfast cereal made from whole wheat formed into pillow-shaped biscuits. It is commonly available in three sizes: original, bite-sized and miniature. Both smaller sizes are available in a frosted variety, which has one side coated with sugar and usually gelatin. Some manufacturers have produced "filled" versions of the bite-size cereal containing a raisin at the center, or apricot, blueberry, raspberry, cherry, cranberry or golden syrup filling.

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MOM Brands Company is an American producer of breakfast cereals, headquartered in Northfield, Minnesota. It markets its products in at least 70% of the country's grocery stores, with estimated sales in 2012 of US$750 million. It operates four manufacturing plants, in Northfield, Minnesota; Tremonton, Utah; Asheboro, North Carolina; and St. Ansgar, Iowa. The company has distribution centers in Grove City, Ohio; Coppell, Texas; and Salt Lake City, Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crunchy Nut</span> Breakfast cereal made by Kelloggs

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The Kid in You is an advertising slogan developed for Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats by the Leo Burnett Agency in the mid-1980s. The slogan was aimed at adults who were concerned with their perceived maturity but still wanted a sweet tasting children's cereal.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Kellogg's strike</span> 2021 labor strike by employees of the food manufacturer Kelloggs

The 2021 Kellogg's strike was a labor strike started on October 5, 2021, and ended December 21, 2021, involving about 1,400 workers for food manufacturer Kellogg's, unionized as members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union (BCTGM). The strike was caused due to disagreements between the union and company concerning the terms of a new labor contract, with particular points of contention concerning the current two-tier wage system, health care, holidays, retirement benefits, cost-of-living adjustments, and vacation time. The strike affected all of Kellogg's cereal-producing plants in the United States, consisting of plants in Battle Creek, Michigan; Omaha, Nebraska; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Memphis, Tennessee. It is one of several strikes conducted by the BCTGM in 2021, including strike action against Frito-Lay and Nabisco.

References

  1. "WK Kellogg CEO Gary Pilnick: 'Cereal for dinner' is trending for consumers under price pressure". 21 February 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  2. O'Kane, Caitlin (27 February 2024). "Kellogg's CEO says Americans facing inflation should eat cereal for dinner. He got mixed reactions. - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  3. Meyersohn, Nathaniel (26 February 2024). "Kellogg's CEO: Let them eat Corn Flakes for dinner CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  4. Johnson, Brooks (28 February 2024). "Kellogg CEO criticized for saying more consumers could eat cereal for dinner as budgets tighten". www.startribune.com. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  5. Vargas, Ramon Antonio (27 February 2024). "Let them eat Flakes: Kellogg's CEO says poor families should consider 'cereal for dinner'". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  6. Stevens, Ashlie D. (10 March 2024). ""Let them eat cereal": How accusations of "greedflation" fueled consumer ire against Kellogg's". Salon. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  7. "Kellogg CEO faces backlash over "cereal for dinner" comment" . Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  8. "Is cereal for dinner a healthy meal? Dietitian explains amid Kellogg CEO controversy". TODAY.com. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.