Like many household brands, South Africans have grown up eating beloved breakfast cereal, ProNutro. However, in recent months, dissatisfied consumers have complained that the brand no longer looks or tastes the same.
The manufacturer – PepsiCo – has confirmed that they’ve completely overhauled the old product too…
PRONUTRO – WHY DOES IT TASTE DIFFERENT?
On social media platforms, many South Africans have bemoaned the rollout of a new-look ProNutro breakfast cereals.
Not only does the packaging appear different, but consumers have voiced dissatisfaction with the product’s new taste, texture and smell.
TikToker @fero_za said: “My kids don’t want to eat this. I’m not buying ProNutro in the foreseeable future ever again. Another @watersomm added: “Who signed off on this new taste and texture? We have to go to a public vote here”
@fero_za1 My kids won’t eat the new #PRONUTRO ♬ original sound – Fero_Za
According to consumer journalist Wendy Knowler, the change is intentional.ProNutro falls under the Bokomo food range, which is manufactured by Pioneer Foods which is a subsidiary of PepsiCo. It was developed by doctors in 1962 to combat malnutrition in South Africa.
Knowler confirmed that PepsiCo had changed the formula of the “new generation” cereal with reduced sugar, a new texture.
PepsiCo said in a statement: “Our decision to launch a new generation was not an easy decision. It was done in part due to ageing infrastructure and unreliable equipment performance, which over time, it would have negatively impacted the quality of the product expected by our consumers.”
The manufacturers – who claim that ProNutro still offers the “13 vitamins and four minerals” – and its new formula underwent “substantial national consumer testing”.
They added that the new packaging explicitly communicated the change in formula. The new range has been rolled out as of April, and old stock will now be discontinued.
CONSUMERS HAVE THE FINAL SAY
ProNutro is not the only breakfast cereal that has undergone a major formula overhaul
In 2018, Kellogg’s made headlines after it changed the formula of popular product Rice Krispies, and renamed it Rice Krispies Vanilla, to incorporate less rice and more sugar and vanilla flavouring.
This was done to utilise more local grains instead of expensive imported ones.
The brand came under fire for increasing the product’s total sugar content from 8 grams per 100g to over 21 grams per 100g.
Two years later, Kellogg’s caved to consumer pressure by reintroducing the original product onto the market.
Kellogg Sub Saharan Africa Eternal Relations head Zandi Mposelwa told Business Insider at the time: “We have listened to our consumers and understand that many consumers enjoyed the original Rice Krispies.
“We have therefore decided to relaunch it in the market, whilst keeping the Rice Krispies Vanilla variant to ensure that we meet different consumer needs for variety.”
“We are importing the product from the UK because we no longer have the manufacturing capability to manufacture the product in South Africa”.
