'Poor People, Recommended Cereal for Both Breakfast and Dinner'... Multi-Billion Won Salary CEO's Remarks Draw Backlash

Boycott Movement Spreads on SNS Over the Remark
Hypocrite Criticism Amid Astronomical Salaries and Bonuses

Kellogg's CEO is facing public backlash after saying, "Poor people should eat cereal for dinner to save money." On the 27th (local time), the British daily The Telegraph reported that Gary Pilnick, Kellogg's CEO, recently stated in a CNBC interview that cereal, which is mainly consumed for breakfast, is also fine for dinner and is already popular among households struggling with living expenses, sparking controversy.

Gary Pilnick, CEO of Kellogg, attending a company-hosted event (second from the left).
[Photo by Kellogg Facebook]

CEO Pilnick said, "Cereal prices have always been affordable, and when consumers are under financial pressure, cereal tends to be a great option." He added that eating cereal costs less than other foods and predicted, "Eating cereal for dinner is more popular than people think, and this trend will continue as consumers face economic hardships."

Pilnick's remarks immediately sparked backlash on social media platforms. Users criticized his comments as no different from the phrase that incited anger among citizens during the French Revolution, "Let them eat cake if they have no bread." Although this phrase is attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette, many historians consider it to be untrue.

The CEO of Kellogg is facing public backlash after saying that poor people should eat cereal for dinner to save money.
[Photo by Reuters·Yonhap News]

One netizen questioned Pilnick, asking, "Would you give your children cereal for dinner?" expressing discomfort. Another criticized the hypocrisy of Pilnick, who receives an astronomical salary and bonuses. According to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) data, Pilnick earned a salary of $1 million (about 1.33 billion KRW) and bonuses exceeding $4 million (about 5.3 billion KRW) last year, making him very wealthy.

Furthermore, there are criticisms that cereal is no longer cheap, and households eating cereal for dinner to cut costs cannot afford expensive brands like Kellogg's, leading to a boycott movement spreading. Marion Williamson, a psychotherapist and author, strongly criticized advertising cereal to poor people as dinner, saying it is no different from exploiting their hunger for financial gain.