Empty grocery store shelves have become a hallmark of the pandemic, particularly around major holidays. Valentine’s Day was no exception for one Twitter user, who intended to prepare Rice Krispies Treats in honor of the holiday. Unfortunately, it did not work out.
- Beckittyy tweeted with obvious exasperation, “went to three different stores to find the cereal, but the shelves were empty.” “I see online that there is a SHORTAGE.” Similar sentiments are prevalent throughout social media.
- People in the United States and Canada are discovering empty cereal aisles and tweeting about their frustrations.
They are all asking the same thing: “Where did the Rice Krispies go?” Here are the facts you must know about the ongoing shortage. The Kellogg’s Strike That Began Everything In October of 2021, 1,400 Kellogg’s employees went on strike over union negotiations.
- The strike lasted 71 days until both parties reached an agreement on a new five-year contract in December of 2021.
- Due to the length of the strike, a number of Kellogg’s products, including Rice Krispies, have been in short supply as the company attempts to resume production.
- A Component Shortage with Poor Timing The shortage is not caused solely by the strike.
Moreover, the pandemic is to blame: Rice, which is obviously one of the primary ingredients in Rice Krispies, is one of the foods that are difficult to obtain due to disruptions in the supply chain. The cost of the 2021 rice crop increased due to a 16 percent decrease in rice production in the United States in 2021 compared to the previous year.
- According to T.
- Randall Fortenbery, a professor in the School of Economic Sciences at Washington State University, the cost of medium grain rice, the variety used in Rice Krispies, is expected to increase by approximately 15 percent this year.
- Fortenbery also cited the increased cost of packaging and material shortages of cardboard and wax paper (i.e., the components of a cereal box) as probable causes of the Rice Krispies shortage.
All of these factors have conspired to increase the price of your favorite breakfast cereal, a pinch that some consumers are already experiencing. Twitter user @Imkita N captures the sentiment succinctly: “Every time I see the price of original Rice Krispies, I want to faint.” When Is It Going to End? Kellogg’s has acknowledged a “temporary shortage of Rice Krispies” due to “supply constraints in manufacturing” in response to these tweets.
- The company claims it is working as quickly as possible to restock shelves, but there is no estimated date for when production will return to normal.
- Ellogg’s recommends using the “Where to buy” tool on its website to determine if a product is available in your area.
- Additionally, you can call your local shop directly.
Perhaps Kellogg’s can learn from Post Consumer Brands, whose Grape-Nuts shortage in January prompted online outrage from die-hard fans. About a month later, Post Consumer Brands announced plans to increase production in order to replenish shelves with sufficient quantities of boxes by mid-March.
We can only hope that the issue will be resolved prior to Easter so that we do not run out of Mini Egg Rice Krispie Treats. That would be insurmountable! Felicia LaLomia is Delish’s Food & Culture Editor. She searches for the next perfect bite when she isn’t covering food news or writing articles about delicious trends in the culinary world.
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Where did South Africa’s Rice Krispies go?
Rice Krispies Original (left) versus Rice Krispies Vanilla (right). Kellogg’s has replaced its Rice Krispies cereal in South Africa with Rice Krispies Vanilla, a new product. Rice has been replaced with corn and whole wheat flour to reduce the amount of rice in the new cereal. 
Kellogg’s launch of new versions of Rice Krispies, Coco Pops, and Strawberry Pops in South Africa has not gone smoothly, judging by the social media backlash. It appears that the transition from single-grain to whole-grain in both Coco Pops and Strawberry Pops was not met with overwhelming enthusiasm.
- But the modifications to Rice Krispies, which are now known as Rice Krispies Vanilla, provoked the most outrage.
- Rice Krispies, which debuted in 1928, are traditionally made from a rice-and-sugar paste that is then toasted.
- Because the kernels are hollow, the rice walls collapse when milk is added, causing the rice to ” snap, crackle, and pop.”) In South Africa, however, the American company replaced the rice in Rice Krispies with a different ingredient.
(Facebook) Rice now accounts for only 48% of Rice Krispies, down from 89.8% previously. Corn flour (13%), which the company claims may be genetically modified, and whole wheat flour (10%) are among the new ingredients. Additionally, the company added significantly more sugar.
- According to Xolile Mbatha, director of research, nutrition, and development at Kellogg’s South Africa, the new Rice Krispies Vanilla formula has a thin coating of sugar, which is equivalent to 1.5 teaspoons per serving, in order to enhance the crispiness.
- The new Rice Krispies Vanilla contain 21.7 grams of sugar per 100 grams, up from 9 grams previously.
“In light of the obesity crises, diabetes, and sugar tax (in South Africa), I am alarmed, both as a parent AND as a food scientist, to see that the new formulation contains more than double the amount of sugar,” one Kellogg’s Facebook user stated. This cereal has significantly less sugar than other children’s cereals on the market, so I buy it for my child.
- Please send assistance; the vanilla Rice Krispies are revolting.
- Please, I suggest We can handle anything in South Africa because we survived apartheid, but we can’t survive this.
- Please?? @KelloggsUS — sgelekeqe es’focused (@Smack xo) September 10, 2018 According to Mbatha, the new recipe was tested on 400 mothers and children, half of whom regularly consumed Rice Krispies.
The remaining half were either new or former Rice Krispies consumers. While we recognize that everyone has different tastes, the results of this market research indicated that the Rice Krispies Vanilla concept and food were liked by the vast majority of consumers.
Rice Krispies Vanilla is also available in Canada, but according to Mbatha, the local version was developed specifically for South African tastes. Evidently, the rest of the world still has traditional Rice Krispies. Mbatha stated that Kellogg’s was able to source local ingredients after adopting a new multi-grain formula for Rice Krispies Vanilla.
Historically, we imported all primary ingredients. (South Africa is the ninth largest importer of rice in the world as a result of a lack of domestic rice production.) Some of us even purchased the new and improved Vanilla-flavored Rice Krispies without realizing that they no longer pop.
- Hitekani V.
- Hitekani B) September 10, 2018 She added that the company has experienced a “increase in sales” since the July launch of the new Rice Krispies, following the distribution of samples that “helped to engage with new/lapsed users.” However, Business Insider South Africa observed no enthusiasm for the change in hundreds of social media messages on Kellogg’s platforms and on consumer websites.
@KelloggCompany These vanilla rice krispie treats are disgusting. We seek the return of the original rice krispies. hayi lezinto zenu — Ntokozo Nkambule???????? (@GasoloLomuhle) September 7, 2018 On its website, the company has established a separate feedback channel for Rice Krispies and Coco Pops.
Can Kellogg’s bring back the original Rice Krispies, because my children do not like the vanilla flavor? My money has been wasted.?? — Precious Sikhonde (@staPresh), via Twitter September 2, 2018 Kellogg’s did not directly respond to Business Insider’s inquiry as to whether the company would consider reintroducing the original Rice Krispies.
Hi Otumi. Unfortunately, we have phased out plain #RiceKrispies at this time. New Rice Krispies Vanilla was introduced in June 2018 as a result of numerous indications over the years that our customers in South Africa desire innovative, delicious new recipes and products.
— KelloggsZA (@KelloggsZA) September 4, 2018 Please. They Will Not Negotiate. We are treated as if we were terrorists. I’m on my last box, and it’s the smallest size, which I never purchase. I had to seek it out. I Have No Idea What Will Happen To Me And My Family Once This Is Over. I Have an older sister.
She remains in school. pic.twitter.com/XKGkEHgIcx — George Mnguni (@Okay Wasabi) September 9, 2018 They acknowledged on their social media pages “that we can do more to increase awareness of this new product. We are working on this with our marketing teams, so keep an eye on social media and in-store announcements.” Those dissatisfied with the new Rice Krispies are encouraged to try Kellogg’s Corn Flakes – “crisp, light flakes of sun-ripened corn that not only taste good but also provide a nutritious start to the day for your family.”
Are Rice Krispies unhealthy?
The cereal’s formula has changed from Rice Krispies to multigrain Krispies; it still contains rice flour, but also corn and wheat flour. Moreover, the sugar content has increased from nine percent to twenty-one and a half percent, causing even children to complain that it is too sweet.
- Is rice Krispy cereal nutritious? Verdict: Rice Krispies from Kellogg’s may be popular with children for their snap, crackle, and pop, but their astoundingly high sugar content makes them unsuitable for a healthy diet.
- However, they contain relatively little fat, so you could certainly choose a less nutritious cereal.
Also, have they ceased production of Cocoa Krispies? Amazon.com: (Discontinued Version) (Discontinued Version) Kids’ Breakfast Cereals. Kellogg’s Cocoa Krispies, Breakfast Cereal, Made with Real Chocolate, 15.5 oz Box (4-Pack). What happened in South Africa to Rice Krispies? In 2018, Kellogg’s ceased selling original Rice Krispies in South Africa and replaced the popular breakfast cereal with Vanilla Rice Krispies, which contained significantly more sugar.
Rice Krispies are manufactured by the Kellogg Company. The “Snap, Crackle and Pop” slogan was first used in 1939, when the cereal was advertised as remaining “crackly crisp in milk or cream.not mushy!” and floating (without sinking to the bottom of the bowl) for up to two hours in milk.
Kellogg’s patented method of “oven-popping” was used to produce these cereals, which were neither shredded nor flaked. The original patent called for using partially dried grain, which could be whole or broken, with 15–30% moisture, which could then be shaped using existing cereal production techniques such as rolling, flaking, and shredding, among others.
After being formed into the desired shape, the grain is dried to a moisture content of 5–14%, at which point it expands when exposed to a high temperature, producing a light, low-density product that is easy to chew.