Gary Pilnick (pictured), multimillionaire CEO of Kellogg’s, has drawn scorn from the public after recently suggesting that families with strained finances should consider eating cereal for dinner. Some have compared the comment to Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s comment “let them eat cake” during the French Revolution. Pilnick pointed out that “the cereal category has always been quite affordable, and it tends to be a great destination when consumers are under pressure.” When asked if he thought his remarks could land the wrong way with consumers who have been forced to spend about 26% more on groceries since 2020, Pilnick doubled down by saying that cereal for dinner is actually trending. It appears that none of Pilnick’s remarks have landed well with consumers, especially given the fact that he has an annual base salary of $1 million and more than $4 million in incentives. Social media exploded, with comments like, “This fool is making $4 million a year. Do you think he’s feeding his kids cereal for dinner?” and “Give the peasants cereal for dinner?!!” One person argued that a $10 family-size box of cereal and a $3 carton of milk would cost about the same as frozen lasagna meant to feed the same number of people. As might be expected, others pointed out that it's not healthy to eat cereal at any meal, given how much sugar most brands contain. Self-help author Marianne Williamson also chimed in, writing: “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.”
