I am a 1970s child. So, cereal meant a new but small toy inside the box or coupons towards buying more cereal or a bigger toy. I think my mother bought me a Marx Big Wheel tricycle (do you remember the plastic big wheel?) using some cash-back discount from a Cap’n Crunch box. I probably needled her into getting it, making her regret buying the cereal. With parents on a nine-to-five job, it helped to have something easy for kids to prepare themselves. Although my parents still preferred something warm for us as kids, I loved the independence of making my meal. My nostalgia was shat upon by a recent comment by Kellogg’s CEO Gary Pilnick. It was since earlier this year, but I have been distracted with elections.
Gary Pilnick’s comments displayed an alarming detachment from everyday consumers’ real struggles. Suggesting that families under financial pressure should opt for cereal as a dinner alternative is not just tone-deaf — it’s insulting, particularly given that cereals like Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes are super-high in sugar and provide limited nutritional value. I would not touch any of that stuff now because it’s like buying diabetes in a box, especially at my age. Plus, the nutritional value of many of the ingredients has declined over the years due to harmful practices in industrial farming, making it not even worth the crunch.
Gary’s comments echo Marie Antoinette’s infamous “Let them eat cake” comment before the French Revolution. The disconnect between Pilnick’s total yearly compensation of $9.02 million and the struggles of ordinary families mirrors the insensitivity that has historically led to uprisings and social unrest.
Facts: Since 2020, cereal prices have risen by 28%, making a box of cereal more than $7, depending on the region. The boxes are getting smaller for the same or higher price in what they call Shrinkflation. Families have been spending 26% more on groceries since 2020 since every producer increased prices partly due to shortages of supplies, increased transportation costs, and because they could. Everyone in the supply chain has increased their costs because they can, in many instances, earning more without repercussions. Anyone who studies economics knows all they do is temporarily increase their spending power at the expense of inflation, hurting everyone.
Of course, people earning millions of dollars in salary don’t worry about food prices. Pilnick’s suggestion that cereal could be a viable dinner option for cash-strapped families demonstrates his failure to understand both the nutritional needs of consumers and their financial challenges. Indeed, he suffers from Marie Antoinette Syndrome (I just made this up). He suggests alleviating the pain of poverty and inflation by making him and his shareholders richer, the incidental savior of the poor, good old Gary!
Author Jessie Inchauspé, also known as the Glucose Goddess, has studied the impact of glucose spikes from cereals. These foods, laden with sugar, lead to unhealthy energy surges and crashes—further evidence that cereal is an inadequate meal replacement. This is especially evident in children. Have you ever noticed a kid on a sugar high how self-destructive they are, and then they crash low in energy and irritable? To suggest it as a cost-effective dinner replacement is not just ignorant; it’s dangerous for public health.
Pilnick’s statement reveals a broader pattern of economic exploitation, especially within the food industry. The rise in food prices disproportionately affects already marginalized communities, who already spend a higher percentage of their income on basic necessities due to other forms of economic bias. This flippant disregard for the real struggles of people, particularly from someone who earns millions while his company raises prices, highlights that without vision and care, people suffer.
The majority of those most affected by rising food costs are not shareholders or CEOs — they’re working-class families, and many are from marginalized communities.
By positioning cereal as an answer to a deeper economic problem, Pilnick, who became CEO in October 2023, has showcased a fundamental misunderstanding and lack of care for his customer base. This is more than a simple PR blunder — it’s a reminder of how corporate greed fuels the economic divides that perpetuate systemic poverty. Leadership in companies like Kellogg needs to reflect the realities of the marketplace and the communities they serve. The leadership should look like the consumers. Tone-deaf CEOs who push sugar-laden, overpriced cereals as a solution to economic hardship must be held accountable. Their ignorance and carelessness for humanity only exacerbate inequality.
t’s time for someone who understands today’s economic realities to take Pilnick’s place. Executives should not only focus on profit margins but also bear responsibility for the social impact of their decisions.
“And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in one minute,” Trump said from the White House. “And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it’d be interesting to check that, so that you’re going to have to use medical doctors with — but it sounds interesting to me.” Trump during a press briefing at the White House, April 2020. Source: USNews
Leaders like Pilnick have to be careful what they say in public in a way that shows they have common sense and respect for the people or consumers they serve. Kellogg’s leadership reflects a corporate culture that prioritizes shareholder profits over consumer well-being, especially for marginalized communities. We need policies and leaders who hold companies accountable for their impact on economic justice.
In a world where food insecurity is growing (like you, I see it every time I go to the grocery store), we cannot afford to have corporate leaders who treat fundamental issues like hunger and affordability with such confident flippancy. Let’s demand more from these companies, not just in terms of products but also in terms of leadership that genuinely cares about the well-being of all people—not just their bottom line.
