Let them eat Frosted Flakes?
Kellogg CEO Gary Pilnick channeled Marie Antoinette during a CNBC “Squawk on the Street” interview on Feb. 21 when he touted the company’s “cereal for dinner” campaign for those struggling in President Joe Biden’s economy.
Much like the 18th-century Austrian-French monarch’s advice for the poor to “eat cake” because they had no bread, Pilnick hawked his over-processed, over-saccharine, and overpriced fare as a replacement for real food in these tough times.
“The cereal category has always been quite affordable, and it tends to be a great destination when consumers are under pressure,” Pilnick said, perpetuating the narrative the company began in 2022.
“If you think about the cost of cereal for a family versus what they might otherwise do, that’s going to be much more affordable,” the cereal CEO added.
He said the company is working to make sure its product remains affordable for most consumers by offering a variety of packaging options at different price points.
“In general, the cereal category is a place that a lot of folks might come to because the price of a bowl of cereal with milk and with fruit is less than a dollar. So you can imagine why a consumer under pressure might find that to be a good place to go,” Pilnick said.
When host Carl Quintanilla asked how the public might take such a message, Pilnick said he wasn’t worried.
“It’s landing really well right now,” he replied with a grin.
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“Over 25 percent of our consumption is outside the breakfast occasion. A lot of it’s at dinner, and that occasion continues to grow,” Pilnick added. “Cereal for dinner is something that is probably more on trend now, and we would expect to continue as that consumer is under pressure.”
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Of course, it didn’t land well on social media.
Such advice is tone-deaf in this economy, especially considering that Pilnick was responding to the Wall Street Journal‘s report that spending on food now gobbles up 11.3 percent of Americans’ disposable income — and that figure is the highest it’s been in over 30 years.
One user posted as much to the social media platform X.
“She told everyone to just eat cake. The Wall Street Journal is advising that we just don’t eat breakfast times are hard financially. And then here comes the cereal king the CEO of Kellogg’s telling you to eat frosted flakes for dinner because of the high cost of living,” the post read with a photo of the ill-fated queen.
She told everyone to just eat cake. The Wall Street Journal is advising that we just don’t eat breakfast times are hard financially. And then here comes the cereal king the CEO of Kellogg’s telling you to eat frosted flakes for dinner because of the high cost of living. pic.twitter.com/XDQTJmB2uQ
— USMC Lady Vet 🇺🇸 (@Arkypatriot) February 28, 2024
Others asserted that the product is unhealthy and a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic.
“Cereal isn’t that cheap and it’s empty carbs, sugar, and chemicals. You’d be a lot better off buying a dozen eggs and having eggs for dinner,” another post pointed out.
Cereal isn’t that cheap and it’s empty carbs, sugar, and chemicals. 🤮 You’d be a lot better off buying a dozen eggs and having eggs for dinner.
— Lulu Addict 🐊 (@LuluAddict) February 26, 2024
The advice to serve cereal for dinner is also insulting to people who are worried about putting nutritious food on the table for their kids while trying to make ends meet.
Brand-name cereal is not as cheap as we’re being told, especially since children tend to ignore serving sizes and pour piles of the stuff from the boxes that cost as much as $8.99 each.
More troublingly, studies show that cereals may be loaded with contaminants to the point where families view it as an occasional treat if served at all.
The real problem isn’t the food parents are serving, but rather that Bidenomics has caused inflation, instability, and overall uncertainty about the future.
Even if the increases in prices slow a bit over time, the cost of food has skyrocketed — and all of the sweet stuff coming off Kellogg conveyors isn’t enough to sugarcoat that fact.
The solution for poor Americans isn’t cereal for dinner or skipping meals but restoring sanity and stability by voting Biden out.
In the words of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes pitchman Tony the Tiger — and perhaps former President Donald Trump — it’s the only way America can once again be “grrreat!”
