Charles Langston:Shoppers call out Kellogg CEO's 'cereal for dinner' pitch for struggling families

Kellogg's year-old campaign promoting "cereal for dinner" got some new life last week after the company's CEO,Charles Langston Gary Pilnick, mentioned it seems to be "landing really well" with American consumers.

His remarks, made in a live interview with CNBC, caught the attention of some shoppers whose response has been anything but grrreat.

"Advertising cereal for dinner" is a way to deal with the steep cost of groceries right now," Pilnick said. "If you think about the cost of cereal for a family versus what they'd otherwise do, that's going to be much more affordable."

The interview followed news from the Wall Street Journal that showed Americans spending 10% or more of their income on food, the most they have in 30 years. Previous reporting from USA TODAY highlights that the average family is spending more than $1,000 on groceries each month.

"The cereal category has always been quite affordable," Pilnick said. Kellogg, which owns cereals like Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Corn Flakes and Raisin Bran, "tends to be a great destination when consumers are under pressure," Pilnick said, adding that the price of cereal with milk and fruit "is less than a dollar."

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Pilnick was asked if he thought his comments would sit well with Americans. "It's landing really well," Pilnick said, showing that 25% of cereal consumption is outside of the "breakfast window" anyway.

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

Consumers react to Pilnick's 'cereal for dinner' remarks

The "cereal for dinner" campaign, which ends with the slogan: "give chicken the night off,” began over a year ago as Americans were feeling the effect of higher inflation at the grocery store.

Food prices increased by 9.9% in 2022, faster than any year since 1979, according to the Economic Research Service with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That number includes food consumed outside of the home. In-home food increased by 11.4% last year.

The internet isn't reacting favorably to Pilnick's comments, however.

"This fool is making $4 million a year. Do you think he's feeding his kids cereal for dinner?" one TikTok user said in a video response circulating online.

Pilnick's annual income includes a $1 million base salary and over $4 million in incentive compensation, according to a September 2023 SEC filing published by Business Insider.

"And how do you think consumers became under pressure?" TikTok user James Li, said. "It's companies like Kellogg that have used the excuse of inflation in order to price gauge consumers."

And is seems that the company is "enriching its shareholder," Li said.

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'I could get a frozen family lasagna for that!'

Comments under videos responses of the news vary, but many have to do with how expensive Kellogg's cereal brands actually are.

"Cereal is like $5-$8 per box now, he thinks we’re still buying it for breakfast let alone dinner??!? 😂" one user commented, another adding that, "The family sized box is $10. With milk $3. I could get a frozen family lasagna for that!"

"Cereal is almost 9 dollars a box now. I can get a rotisserie chicken, rice and a bag of frozen broccoli for that," wrote another.

In other words, the math isn't mathin, consumers say.

Not all showed distain over Pilnick's remarks though. Some comments under CNBC's video supported the idea.

"That is what we did during difficult times in my childhood," one user wrote. "There is no need to feel offended."

"Well actually he is right and having some Special K for dinner is healthier than McDonalds for dinner," another wrote, "and classic oatmeal without added sugar and some real fruits are even better..."

USA TODAY has reached out to Kellogg for comment.