Kellogg’s has acknowledged that the “snap, crackle and pop” of its Rice Krispies may be noticeably quieter following a recipe change that triggered an online backlash, the company told the BBC in a dispatch carried by the Daily Mirror on 4 November.
Rice Krispies and Coco Pops are no longer made with whole rice grains. The toasted puffs are now produced using corn flour and rice flour instead.
A company spokesperson said preserving the cereal’s signature sound had been a “huge focus” in designing the new recipe, but conceded that customers “might notice that the sound may be quieter and not as instant as before”.
Why the recipe changed
Kellogg’s attributed the reformulation to “changing weather conditions” that have disrupted supplies of certain grains and cereals. Extreme weather in Spain in 2022 and 2023 in particular had reduced the availability of the rice varieties the company uses, it said, and the change would help “maintain consistent quality” as crop damage pushes up ingredient prices.
The firm said the new versions had been “carefully assessed for taste, appearance and texture”.
The backlash
Customers were less convinced. Shoppers described the taste and texture as “totally different”, with some calling the change “grim” and “disgusting”.
“There’s no snap, crackle and pop in these,” a parent posting on TikTok as Dani wrote. “My toddler won’t eat them.” Another user, Lauren, said she had eaten Rice Krispies daily “for years and years”: “I had a bowl of the new recipe and you can immediately tell the difference. They don’t have the snapping sound when you put in the milk.”
The sound — produced when milk hits the puffed rice — has anchored the brand’s marketing since the 1950s.
What else has changed
Packaging will now carry a “contains wheat gluten” warning. Previously it said the products “may contain gluten”, reflecting only a cross-contamination risk at factories handling other cereals.
Kellogg’s said nutritional content such as fibre, vitamin D and iron is unchanged, the cereals contain no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners, and both products will continue to meet UK food standards on fat, salt and sugar. Salt was cut in the 1990s and sugar reduced in 2018.
The reformulation applies to the United Kingdom. Kellogg’s said no changes are being made to Rice Krispies in the United States or Canada, and the report does not address other markets. No other cereal in its range has been reformulated.
