Breakfast cereal is in dire need of a makeover

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After years of shrinking sales, cereal is no longer the star of breakfast. Now, food giants like General Mills and WK Kellogg are plotting how to get the former staple back on the table.
Shifts in morning routines, rising costs and cereal's sugar-laden image have dragged down the category for years. But as consumers become even more concerned with inflation, those declines have recently accelerated, and companies are making it more of a priority to turn around the cereal category.
At Froot Loops maker WK Kellogg, first-quarter sales declined 6.2% compared to last year. A similar story is playing out at its competitors. General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening told investors in March that cereal's performance "wasn't great," while Post Holdings, which owns brands like Fruity Pebbles, recently closed two cereal plants amid headwinds in the category.
Many cereal giants are beginning to lean into consumer demand for healthier foods, noting that shoppers are willing to pay more for offerings they perceive to have more nutritional value. Upstarts like Magic Spoon, which offers a high-protein and no-sugar cereal, have taken away market share from traditional stalwarts. PepsiCo's Life brand debuted a multigrain cereal, Mighty Life, this year aimed at boosting immunity.
'It's a real dichotomy. You see some of the more premium organic natural [cereal] marketed as healthier for you …. doing well in the category while the overall category is not performing well,' Jeff Zadoks, chief operating officer of Post Holdings, told investors this month. 'There's a pocket of consumers that are spending for what they perceive as better for them, and are willing to pay essentially whatever necessary to get that type of product.'
To reach that pocket of consumers, big companies are moving to relaunch big-name brands with added protein options or lower sugar. Kellogg debuted Special K Protein, while General Mills introduced Cheerios Protein.
'As we're seeing a shift in the category, we need to shift with it,' Kellogg CEO Gary Pilnick said on an earnings call in early May.
Companies are also pouring more into marketing or redesigns to remake cereal's image as sugary or unhealthy. WK Kellogg faced protests to remove artificial dyes from its cereals, and manufacturers now face pressure from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to phase out synthetic colors as part of his 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative.
'We do believe the entire cereal category should be perceived better from a health perspective,' Pilnick said.
WK Kellogg intends to focus more on health and wellness brands, including Special K and Kashi, which is being relaunched. Pilnick said consumer interest in health and nutrition is 'more than a fad,' and the company is accelerating plans to lean into those better-for-you attributes.
'While there are smaller brands in the market that are winning, we could do that, too,' Pilnick told investors.
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Post Holdings sees cereal demand dip as Gen Z seeks healthier breakfasts

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