Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and Coco Pops no longer contain rice grains, with the company pointing to the impact of weather.
The cereal manufacturer said the recipe has been reformulated around “wheat gluten”.
“This recent change helps us maintain consistent quality at a time when changing weather conditions are affecting the quality and availability of some of the rice and grains used in our cereals,” a spokesperson for Kellogg said.
“We have updated the Rice Krispies and Coco Pops recipes, which are now made using corn flour and rice flour.”
The Kellogg cereal brand in international markets outside of North America is now owned by Mars through its acquisition in 2024 of Kellanova.
Kellanova emerged the previous year from the split of US-based Kellogg, with the other half of the spin-off being WK Kellogg.
Now under the ownership of Italy-headquartered confectionery major Ferrero, WK Kellogg owns the cereal brands of the same name in North America markets.
“Our Rice Krispies cereals in the US and Canada (e.g., Kellogg’s Rice Krispies, Kellogg’s Cocoa Krispies, Kellogg’s Frosted Krispies) are made with real rice and will continue to be,” a spokesperson for WK Kellogg informed Just Food.
“There are no changes to their ingredients or recipes and consumers can continue to expect the same delicious Rice Krispies taste they know and love.”
This publication asked Kellanova/Mars to clarify if the recipe changes to Rice Krispies and Coco Pops apply only to the UK or other international markets.
"Our new recipe products will be rolled out across our European markets in the coming weeks and months," the spokesperson responded.
Meanwhile, the two breakfast cereal brands were previously labelled as ‘may contain gluten’ due to the risk of cross-contamination in the factories where they are made, Kellogg said, noting an amendment to the labels.
As wheat gluten is now used as an ingredient, labels now have to state that fact, although Kellogg emphasised Rice Krispies and Coco Pops are still non-HFSS compliant, with no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners.
They also provide nutritional benefits such as fibre, Vitamin D and iron.
“We’ve always looked for ways to evolve our products over the years, whether that's making them better for you or tastier,” the statement read.
“We appreciate that even small changes to a much-loved product can feel noticeable and that’s why we have approached this with a lot of care and consideration. The updated recipes have been carefully assessed for taste, appearance and texture, and we are continuing to listen closely to consumer feedback.”
The FAO’s All Rice Price Index increased 9.5% in September from a year earlier and was up 1.4% on a month-on-month basis. It registered a reading of 110.5, above the average for all of last year of 103.5.
