Let them eat.. cereal! Kelloggs CEO earning $5million a year is slammed for telling Americans to eat 'corn flakes for dinner' to save money

The CEO of cereal company Kelloggs has suggested Americans should start eating cereal for dinner in order to save money and combat rising grocery prices. 

Gary Pilnick, who has been with the company since 2000 but only became CEO in October, acknowledged how people were under financial strain with inflation sending supermarket prices soaring.

But rather than offer meaningful tips to save money, Pilnick, who earns a salary of $5million a year, instead pushed his own product and suggested customers consume more of it - at any time of the day or night.

'The cereal category has always been quite affordable and it tends to be a great destination when consumers are under pressure,' the cereal company's CEO said.

Kellogg's CEO, Gary Pilnick, who earns $5million a year, suggested Americans should combat rising grocery prices by eating corn flakes for dinner

The Kelloggs CEO suggested customers consume more cereal - at any time of the day or night if they were struggling to afford other types of food

Pilnick suggested Americans should combat rising grocery prices by eating corn flakes for dinner (file photo)

Pilnick has been with the company since 2000 but only became CEO in October 2023

'If you think about the cost of cereal for a family versus what they might otherwise do, that's going to be much more affordable,' Pilnick said, claiming that it could help a 'consumer under pressure' because the price of a bowl of cereal with milk and fruit 'is less than a dollar.'

When pressed as to whether Kellogs messaging had the potential to 'land the wrong way', Pilnick said he did not feel that it was a problem.

'It's landing really well right now. It turns out that over 25 percent of our consumption is outside the breakfast occasion. A lot of it's at dinner. And that occasion continues to grow,' he told CNBC. 

'We talk about making sure that we have the right pack at the right price in the right place. So having a different sized pack that'll have a different price point, that'll take some pressure off the consumer while they're shopping. 

Many on social media suggested he was out of touch with the financial struggles of ordinary people as more than 11 percent of disposable income goes towards food

'But, in general, the cereal category is a place that a lot of folks might come to because the price of a bowl of cereal with milk and with fruit is less than a dollar. So you can imagine why a consumer under pressure might find that to be a good place to go.'

Pilnick's tone deaf suggestions went down like a bowl of dry cereal on social media with many suggesting he was out of touch with the financial struggles of ordinary people as more than 11 percent of disposable income goes towards food.

'Greedflation is forcing families to make choices like eating cereal for dinner to save money. Kellogg's CEO is bragging about it while they show the huge climb in corporate profits that helped create the problem in the first place. F**k this shit,' wrote Evan Sutton on X.

'Meanwhile, he's eating at 5 star restaurants every night and when he isn't, his personal chef cooks him dinner. Absolutely disgusting. Eat. The. Rich, added another.

Pilnick has not made any further statements regarding his corn flakes dinner, but defended his suggestion during his original interview citing the consumption of cereal outside of breakfast as a 'growing trend' and one that he expects to continue

'Lots of people occasionally have cereal for dinner because it's quick and easy or to satisfy a craving. That's one thing. But to suggest that people opt for cereal for dinner to save money because rising food prices are squeezing families is just out of touch, absurd, and cruel coming from someone who is rich because of selling overpriced food. The level of arrogance isn't astounding, but it is disgusting,' wrote Alyssa Strickland.

'The peasants have no dinner! 'Let them eat cereal.' says Kellogg,' said Gregory Gerner.

'Wasn't it Marie Antoinette who said, when advised that the peasants in France were starving to death, 'Well, then, let them eat cereal'? We all know how that turned out,' added another.

'Im sorry but who and what ceo would even have the confidence to say something like this? I'm 30 something and cereal for dinner isn't nutrition. Low income does this for something vs nothing,' wrote Kang Kim.

'People: we don't have dinner, we starving

CEO: then just eat cereals

People: but they expensive

CEO: We hear you! we're making the packs smaller, so it costs less <3' paraphrased Dominic Pascal.

Although Pilnick has not made any further statements regarding his corn flakes dinner, he defended his suggestion during his original interview citing the consumption of cereal outside of breakfast as a growing trend and one that he expects to continue.