About Gary Pilnick
Gary Pilnick, chairman and CEO of WK Kellogg, has drawn attention for comments made during media appearances in 2024. In February, during an appearance on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street," Pilnick suggested that families facing financial pressure could consider cereal for dinner, stating that "the price of a bowl of cereal with milk and with fruit is less than a dollar" and that the company was "advertising about cereal for dinner." He noted that over 25% of cereal consumption occurs outside of breakfast, with dinner being a growing occasion. The remarks generated criticism on social media, with some users characterizing the suggestion as out of touch with the economic realities of households struggling with rising grocery prices.
In later appearances, Pilnick addressed other topics, including the company's use of artificial food dyes. He stated that the FDA had not evaluated the safety of Red 40 in over a decade, and that Kellogg's had previously removed and then reinstated artificial dyes in Froot Loops after sales declined. He said the company had vowed to remove artificial dyes and preservatives from U.S. cereals by 2018 but had not done so, attributing the decision to consumer preferences for "more vibrant colors." Pilnick also discussed WK Kellogg's spin-off from Kellanova, describing the company's singular focus on cereal and a plan to invest $450 to $500 million to modernize its supply chain.
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Gary Pilnick's recent appearances.
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Transcript (10 segments)
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Interviewer0:05
Your company has been in the news, and some of your brands have been in the news a lot over the last few weeks.
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Gary Pilnick0:14
We are in the news. Growing concerns around what's in breakfast cereal. I'm just going to tell the cereal companies to take all the dyes out of their food. But at the Kellogg Company, we're always in the news. The idea of having cereal for dinner, is there the potential for that to land the wrong way? We don't think so. In fact, it's landing really well right now, Carl. It's the power of our brand. We are in charge. Moms in particular are in charge of Kellogg's. We're not effing around anymore.
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Interviewer0:42
So sometimes you'd rather not be in the news. Absolutely. Boycott Kellogg. I'm Victoria Kellogg and I approve this message.
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Gary Pilnick0:47
But look, we would take it because it's the power of our company and the brand and what it stands for.
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Interviewer0:54
Have off does not care about you.
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Gary Pilnick1:00
We've always had strong relationships with our elected officials, with our regulators, with the government.
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Interviewer1:05
This is state senator Jonathan Lindsay, and we've got a few other elected officials we were hoping we could come in and have a conversation.
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Gary Pilnick1:15
Give the headshake no. Our food is safe. At FDA, we have not evaluated the safety of Red 40 in over a decade. The reason why we use colors in our food is because we know it's safe. Food companies have found in focus groups children will eat more of their product with an artificial dye because it's more attractive and appealing. Advocates want the company to remove artificial food dyes and preservatives from cereals like Froot Loops, something Kellogg's vowed to do in US cereals by 2018 but never did. So you get a sense of who we are and how we operate. And in some locations, they preferred the more natural colors. In another location, said no, we want the more vibrant colors. So that's what we did. When the dyes that make Froot Loops bright were taken out, the sales went straight down, and they were put back in. We could do this. We know how to make the food if we were going to go to natural colors across the board, but that's not what the signals we were getting, clear signals we were getting from our consumers.
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Interviewer2:17
No more dye. No more dye. No more dye. We're starting a mandatory boycott from this moment forward. Do not buy Kellogg's. I'm Ava Mendes and I'm boycotting Kellogg's until they take out these toxic ingredients. The stores are really trying to get rid of, look it's a dollar, they're really trying to get rid of these Kellogg's products. People aren't buying this stuff no more 'cause they know it's trash and it's poisoning our kids.
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Gary Pilnick2:50
We know that it is. So you get a sense of who we are and how we operate.
