Breakfast cereal giant Kellogg’s has stopped using rice grains in Rice Krispies and Coco Pops in the UK due to “changing weather conditions” that have disrupted supplies.
Corn flour and rice flour are being used instead, a Kellogg’s spokesperson said on Tuesday, adding that the updated recipes have been “carefully assessed” and the firm has taken customer feedback into consideration.
Those ingredients are replacing rice grains as crops have been hit by dry weather in key producing countries in Asia, reducing harvests and driving up prices.
The new recipes mean cereal packaging will now include a “contains wheat gluten” warning.
Rice Krispies products in the US and Canada will continue to be made with real rice with no changes to their recipes expected, a spokesperson for Kellogg’s North American business told the .
The recipe change in the UK will help “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,” a Kellogg’s spokesperson told the .
“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 company also said that Rice Krispies and Coco Pops will continue to meet UK food standards on levels of fat, salt and sugar in food.
The cereals also contain no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners and the nutritional benefits in each bowl, such as fibre, Vitamin D and iron are staying the same, the spokesperson added.