Kellogg’s CEO: Struggling Homes Can Save Money By Eating ‘Cereal for Dinner’

Kellogg's isn't without its controversial past. But overall, they stay pretty clean, and engage in a lot of social justice and inclusive programs. They've also got a HUGE foundation that benefits millions of people.

But nobody's talking about that right now, as CEO Gary Pilnick is in hot water over something he recently said on the record regarding his company's products, and how (and when) struggling families should eat them.

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Personally, cereal isn't my thing. I RARELY eat it on occasion for breakfast, but when I do, it's an absolute last resort. I prefer the hearty stuff... and the occasional Pop-Tart.

I might be in the minority though, as millions of households use cereal as their breakfast of choice every day. But what about dinner? Have you ever been in a situation where cereal for dinner is your best option?

While it might seem like a strange, and sad state of affairs, The Kellogg's CEO, Pilnick, said he believes it's a perfectly viable option for struggling households.

"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. In fact, it's landing really well right now. Cereal for dinner is something that is probably more on trend now, and we would expect to continue as that consumer is under pressure."

His statement was in response to a report from the Wall Street Journal saying Americans spend 10% of their income on food, which is much higher than in years past. The interviewer on CNBC asked if he thought his comments might be perceived as distasteful toward struggling people, to which he doubled down on his answer.

People who saw the interview overwhelmingly weren't happy after it aired, and trashed him online.

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Kellogg's hasn't responded to the backlash, or directly to Pilnick's remarks in regards to their standards, but since he's the CEO, and he said it with such confidence, we can't imagine an apology is coming any time soon.

What do you think, were his comments out of line?