Cereal is statistically the most popular breakfast food across the country. The combination of convenience and numerous flavor options has propelled the product of cooked grains and oats to the status of a pantry staple. This beloved essential has, however, been controversial, sparking a lifelong debate: Is cereal healthy?
A difficult question to answer, considering the implications of the word “healthy” and the fact that it means different things to different people. Cereal giant Kellogg’s claims it can be. With several pages on the wkkellogg.com website displaying nutrition information and articles about the health benefits of cereal, Kellogg’s has embraced health-conscious culture, branding itself as a cheap and healthy option for meals, particularly breakfast. According to the website, Kellogg’s “will ensure families and kids have access to more of what they want and need from the foods they eat.”
In August 2024, Kellogg’s announced its plans to close their manufacturing plant in Omaha. The plan will phase out the Kellogg’s branch beginning in 2025, with plans to be closed by late 2026. Following the company’s announcement, CEO Gary Pilnick stated in a press release that “actions that impact our people and the communities where we operate are challenging and are made with thoughtful consideration.” Many are worried how this change will affect Kellogg’s employees, as it is estimated that approximately 550 jobs will be eliminated due to the closing of the plant. This is not the only negative emotion directed at the company, however, as many people remember when Kellogg’s doubled down on a dieting campaign that marketed their signature cereal as a means for weight loss.
Kellogg’s released a diet plan in 2004 that would supposedly cause people to “lose two jean sizes in two weeks.” The meal plan, known as the “Special K diet,” consisted of eating one cup of Special K cereal with a half-cup of low-fat milk for breakfast, the same for lunch, and a small, low-calorie dinner, with fruit and Special K bars or shakes sprinkled in for snacks. Though not as restrictive as the “eggs and wine diet” printed by Vogue in 1977, the Special K diet was soon deemed an unsustainable “fad diet.” Originally marketed as a “jumpstart” option for meeting an initial weight loss goal, it did help many people shed around six pounds within 14 days, but would also cause users’ weight loss to plateau after that period, making it a short-term solution that usually backfired.
The diet was appealing to many people for several reasons, including the convenience that cereal provides. The lack of having to prepare meals ahead of time and decide what to eat proved to be an attractive alternative to strict meal plans. Without an accompanying list of specific foods that users can and cannot eat, like most other popular diets of the time, the Special K diet allowed complete freedom for one out of three meals per day. It was also marketed as a particularly inexpensive way to diet, as most “healthy” foods tend to be higher-priced than fast food or fatty snacks. Kellogg’s touted its Special K cereal as the best of both worlds: cheap and healthy. Phrases like “Helping people be healthier, happier, together,” populate the Kellogg’s website, advertising its products in this manner.
While Kellogg’s has since deviated from the extreme diet fad, many still associate the Special K brand with the advertisements’ images of thin women in bright red swimsuits. Since Kellogg’s cemented that image in the minds of its consumers, it may be difficult for them to shake it off. The Kellogg’s brand has since expanded,
ncluding a variety of cereals and snacks, and continues to promote its health agenda by posting recipes on social media that utilize the brand’s products.
To learn more, visit wkkellogg.com.
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2025 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
