Gary Pilnick has served as Kellogg's CEO since October.
Kellogg's CEO Gary Pilnick has stirred controversy by recommending people consider having cereals for dinner as a cost-saving measure.
Mr Pilnick, in an interview with CNBC, discussed a company marketing campaign that encourages people to let "chicken take a break" and opt for bowls of Frosted Flakes and Frosted Mini-Wheats instead, making it a fun change for family meals. Mr Pilnick brought up this idea when responding to the host's question about the increasing prices at grocery stores.
"The cereal category has always been quite affordable, and it tends to be a great destination when consumers are under pressure. We are advertising about 'cereal for dinner',” he said. “If you think about the cost of cereal for a family versus what they might otherwise do, that's gonna be much more affordable," he added.
This comes as people have had to spend around 26% more on groceries since 2020. The CNBC host asked Mr Pilnick if his words could be taken the wrong way by consumers. To which, he replied, “In fact, it's landing really well right now. Cereal for dinner is something that is probably more on trend now, and we would expect [it] to continue as that consumer is under pressure.”
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The remarks, likened by many to Marie Antoinette's infamous "let them eat cake" statement, quickly circulated online, stirring strong reactions from people who found the suggestion controversial.
A user wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “Absolutely staggering level of arrogance from Kellogg's CEO Gary Pilnick. On the same level as ‘Let them eat cake' (although that story is almost certainly apocryphal -- Marie Antoinette wasn't quite as stupid and out of touch as Gary Pilnick appears to be).”
Another user asked Mr Pilnick to “do better,” stating, “Gary Pilnick is seriously giving Marie Antoinette, let them eat cake vibes. Not a good idea to tell the poors to just cereal for dinner. His net worth is at least 6 million.”
Someone demanded that everyone should “boycott” the brand.
“Gary Pilnick, CEO of Kellogg, says eat cereal for dinner. Exactly how bad does it have to get before people wake up?” read another comment.
Gary Pilnick has served as Kellogg's CEO since October, as per his LinkedIn profile. With over 23 years of experience, he has been a longstanding member of the Michigan-based organisation.