- Gary Pilnick made the controversial comments during an appearance on CNBC, sparking massive backlash online from many offended by the suggestion
- Pilnick makes nearly $5million a year and has been with the company since 2000 – but only became CEO in October
Kellogg’s CEO and chairman is being compared to Marie Antoinette after he suggested Americans start having cereal for dinner to deal with rising food costs amid inflation.
Gary Pilnick made the controversial comments during an appearance on CNBC last week, sparking backlash online from many offended by the suggestion from the CEO, who makes more than $4million a year.
‘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 as he discussed Kellogg’s new campaign which suggests ‘giving chicken the night off.’
‘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.’
Pilnick’s tone deaf suggestions went down like a bowl of dry cereal on social media with many accusing him of being out of touch with the financial struggles of ordinary people as more than 11 percent of disposable income goes towards food – the highest rate in over 30 years.
Kellogg’s CEO, Gary Pilnick, who earns more than $4million a year, suggested Americans should combat rising grocery prices by eating corn flakes for dinner
![Pilnick's six-bedroom home, valued at nearly $1million, is pictured above](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/27/20/81788225-13132325-Pilnick_s_home_valued_at_nearly_1million_is_pictured_above-m-101_1709065221365.jpg)
Pilnick’s six-bedroom home, valued at nearly $1million, is pictured above
‘Hey, what stage of capitalism is this?’ asked a TikToker before sharing footage of the CEO’s suggestion.
An X user said: ‘this is so fu***** dystopian….. america is falling SOOOOO fast.’
‘Love the Kellogg’s CEO seriously proposing cereal for dinner to price sensitive consumers,’ said another critic on X. ‘As if price sensitive consumers that can’t afford a “real” dinner are buying brand name cereal over generic.’
‘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.
Some took aim at Pilnick, who has been with Kellogg’s since 2000 but only became CEO in October.
![Pilnick has been with the company since 2000 but only became CEO in October 2023](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/27/20/81747455-13132325-Pilnick_has_been_with_the_company_since_2000_but_only_became_CEO-a-116_1709066342853.jpg)
Pilnick has been with the company since 2000 but only became CEO in October 2023
One post read: ‘What does the Kellogg’s CEO eat for dinner?’
Others pointed out that cereal prices have also gone up by 28 percent thanks to inflation.
‘Have you seen the price of cereal lately Mr Kellogg CEO ???’ wrote one X user.
When pressed as to whether Kellogg’s 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.
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/27/20/81787469-13132325-image-a-113_1709065299977.jpg)
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/27/20/81787465-13132325-image-a-112_1709065296651.jpg)
![Pilnick's tone deaf suggestions went down like a bowl of dry cereal on social media with many accusing him of being out of touch](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/27/20/81787463-13132325-image-a-114_1709065304375.jpg)
Pilnick’s tone deaf suggestions went down like a bowl of dry cereal on social media with many accusing him of being out of touch
![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](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/27/20/81747949-13132325-The_Kelloggs_CEO_suggested_customers_consume_more_cereal_at_any_-a-115_1709065372161.jpg)
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
‘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.’
‘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.
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