Kellogg's Rice Krispies changed its U.K. recipe, muffling its iconic snap, crackle and pop
Some consumers in the U.K. are in an uproar after cereal-maker Kellogg's recently changed its recipe there for Rice Krispies, replacing the whole rice grains in the family-favourite breakfast with rice flour.
The cereal will continue to be made with real rice in Canada, Kellogg's confirms
Natalie Stechyson · CBC News
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This the way the world ends: not with a pop but a whimper.
Some consumers in the U.K. are in an uproar after cereal-maker Kellogg's recently changed its recipe there for Rice Krispies, replacing the whole rice grains in the family-favourite breakfast with rice flour.
This change is due to "changing weather conditions" affecting the quality and availability of rice, a spokesperson for Kellogg's in the U.K. told CBC News in a statement on Tuesday. The swap does not affect Kellogg's cereals in Canada or the U.S., another spokesperson for U.S.-based WK Kellogg Co. confirmed to CBC News.
"Our Rice Krispies cereals in the U.S. and Canada (e.g., Kellogg’s Rice Krispies, Kellogg’s Cocoa Krispies, Kellogg’s Frosted Krispies) are made with real rice and will continue to be," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
"There are no changes to their ingredients or recipes and consumers can continue to expect the same delicious Rice Krispies taste they know and love."
However, in the U.K., both Rice Krispies and Coco Pops now contain wheat gluten, making it unsafe for those with celiac disease or a wheat allergy. The change is reflected on the company's U.K. website, where the ingredients now include rice flour and wheat gluten, and its listed allergens include wheat and barley.
The Canadian website still shows rice as the cereal's main ingredient, and doesn't declare any allergens.
Boxes of Kellogg's breakfast cereal are seen at a supermarket in Springfield, Pa., on July 11, 2025. (Matt Slocum/The Associated Press)
As many have noted, the recipe change also eliminated the iconic sound the cereal used to make when you add milk — a cornerstone of the brand's marketing for nearly a century.
"They've lost their snap, crackle and pop!" Susanna Reid, a co-host on Good Morning Britain, exclaimed after co-host Ed Balls poured milk over a bowl of the reformulated cereal on air Wednesday morning.
She held a microphone to the bowl. There was only silence.
"There's no snap, crackle or pop in these. My toddler won't eat them and she usually eats them every day," a person posted on TikTok.
"You can immediately tell the difference. They're soggy, pale, they don't have the snapping sound when you put milk in. It's really gross," someone else commented.
'The talking cereal'
Kellogg's Rice Krispies were first released in 1928, advertised as a "delicious cereal made from choice rice, cooked, puffed and toasted," according to the company website.
The words "snap, crackle and pop" first appeared in a print ad a year later, and have been printed on the cereal's packaging since 1932. The gnomes by the same name appeared in 1933 and made their television debut in 1955.
WATCH | 1950s Rice Krispies commercial:
The cereal has been in the U.K. since 1928, Kellogg's pointed out in a 2018 press release, adding that it was marketed as "the talking cereal" due to "the sound it made when milk was poured onto it."
The rice grain fills with air when it's cooked, the company explained then, and when you add milk this forces the air to escape, creating the snap, crackle and pop.
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The U.K. Kellogg's spokesperson says it recently swapped out the rice because it "helps us maintain consistent quality at a time when changing weather conditions are affecting the quality and availability of some of the rice and grains used in our cereals."
"We appreciate that even small changes to a much-loved product can feel noticeable and that’s why we have approached this with a lot of care and consideration," the statement continued.
The global rice crop is declining due to various weather issues in major producer countries, like reduced rain in India, El Nino-related disruption in Indonesia and drought in Italy, Europe's largest supplier.
The USDA predicts 2026 global rice production will fall 4.6 per cent compared to last year, reports industry news site Farm Progress.
WATCH | P.E.I. farmers struggle to harvest crops:
P.E.I. farmers struggle to harvest crops as summer of rain continues
September 8|
Duration
2:19
While many P.E.I. farmers struggled with drought last year, some are worried about too much rain now. It's estimated 25 to 30 percent of grain and cereal crops are sitting soggy in fields, and may be lost entirely. CBC’s Nancy Russell has the story.ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Natalie Stechyson has been a writer and editor at CBC News since 2021. She covers stories on social trends, families, gender, human interest, as well as general news. She's worked as a journalist since 2009, with stints at the Globe and Mail and Postmedia News, among others. Before joining CBC News, she was the parents editor at HuffPost Canada, where she won a silver Canadian Online Publishing Award for her work on pregnancy loss. You can reach her at natalie.stechyson@cbc.ca.
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