My Take On The “Cereal For Dinner” Controversy

Similarly, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta recently said at a conference that chips and pretzels should be “side dishes and ingredients” in meals. 

Here’s the thing: these guys are doing their job, right? It’s up to the CEO of a company to constantly think about how to make more profit. That’s what they’ve always done, and that’s what they will always do. They are not paid to think about anyone’s best interest other than their own. 

This is what I want you to consider: why are they pushing this message so hard right now? It’s because sales are declining for snack products and cereals. 

People are saying this is the Kellogg CEO’s “Marie Antoinette” moment, likening him to the 18th-century French queen who famously said, “Let them eat cake” when told that peasants had no bread to survive on. 

The fact is, Kellogg has had a campaign about “cereal for dinner” since 2022. That was the same year food prices increased by 9.9%--more than ANY year since 1979 (1)! Clearly, this campaign came about because Kellogg became desperate to cement their cereals as aligned with struggling Americans’ economic worries. They even offered a $5000 Instagram prize to people who would share a picture of their cereal for dinner. 

PepsiCo has been realizing that Gen Z isn’t that interested in what they manufacture, either, which has them worried. They’re reaching for healthier options instead, which is why PepsiCo has started creating things like Doritos-flavored cocktails and a new soda, specifically aimed at younger audiences. 

These companies and their CEOs are getting desperate to increase their sales and profits. Customers are pushing back on price hikes due to inflation, which have been hurting these companies’ bottom lines (2). The fact is, a box of family-sized cereal and a gallon of milk used for dinner isn’t going to be cheaper than other options. That’s not even to mention the nutrients that a cereal dinner lacks. 

Author Marianne Williamson put it beautifully on X (formerly 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.” I couldn’t have said it better myself!

This also brings up a bigger idea I want to mention, and it’s something I’m seeing every single day: that people are turning away from the food choices they know aren’t good for them and their families. I think that is why we’re seeing this outrage and backlash, too: we know that cereal isn’t what we should be eating, for breakfast, dinner, or any other time of day. People are moving away from these empty carbs that give them nothing and making a pivot toward whole foods that are nutrient-dense. I like to call this “foods that love you back.” And that’s something that you won’t find in Kellogg’s cereals, so they have no interest in making sure you know there are better choices out there, financially and nutritionally. 

It’s the same thing with PepsiCo–this company doesn’t have any interest in informing you what would be healthy, nutritious options to eat for dinner, because it won’t help increase their sales. That’s why they’re trying to convince people that chips and pretzels are legitimate foods, when they’re anything but. 

I think that these companies will continue to see a decrease in sales for their products. I’ve also seen that they’re increasingly interested in investing in or buying out smaller companies who are more sustainably-focused when it comes to foods, and we’ll likely see that continue, too. They’re realizing that their business model of selling people something that is terrible for them isn’t a formula for success. And I, personally, see that as a huge positive in our world!