Poor people should eat cereal for dinner, says Kellogg’s boss

The CEO of Kellogg’s says cereal is a "much more affordable" evening meal option than other foods and was "on trend”. Photo / 123RF

Cash-strapped families should eat cereal for dinner to save money, the multi-millionaire chief executive of Kellogg’s has said.

Gary Pilnick sparked fury online after he said the breakfast food was a “much more affordable” evening meal option and was “on trend” as households faced financial pressures from the cost of living crisis.

The WK Kellogg boss, who earned US$5 million ($8.2m) in 2023, made the comments after he was asked about an advertising campaign by the company that urged consumers to “give chicken the night off” and have a bowl of Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Corn Flakes or perhaps even Raisin Bran instead.

“The cereal category has always been quite affordable and it tends to be a great destination when consumers are under pressure,” Pilnick said in an interview with CNBC.

He added: “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.”

Cereal ‘more on trend now’

Questioned on whether the premise could “land the wrong way” given food products in the US have increased in price by around a quarter since 2020, Pilick said: “It’s landing really well right now.

“Cereal for dinner is something that is probably more on trend now and we would expect to continue as that consumer is under pressure.”

Some users likening Pilnick's comments to the phrase “let them eat cake”, which has become erroneously associated with Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution. Photo / Getty Images

His remarks sparked backlash on social media, with some users likening his comments to the phrase “let them eat cake”, which has become erroneously associated with Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution.

“What the hell kind of dystopian hellscape is this?” one user wrote on TikTok.

Others accused Pilnick of hypocrisy after unearthing a filing from the Securities and Exchange Commission that showed Pilnick was paid a US$1m (salary last year plus more than US$4m in incentives.

‘Give the peasants cereal’

“Do you think he’s feeding his kids cereal for dinner?” one user asked. “Give the peasants cereal for dinner!” another commented.

Users also claimed cereal was no longer affordable and those eating it to save money would unlikely be able to buy brands such as Kellogg’s, which can cost more than US$10 for a family-sized box.

Commenters pointed out that brands such as Kellogg’s can cost more than US$10 for a family-sized box. Photo / AP

Meanwhile, others questioned the health benefits of eating cereal for two meals a day as many brands were filled with sugar and lack other nutrients.

Author Marianne Williamson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Advertising to hungry people that cereal might be good for dinner is not ‘meeting people where they are’. It’s exploiting the hungry for financial gain.”

The Telegraph has approached Kellogg’s for comment.