Rice Krispies in Canada still made with real rice

Rice Krispies sold in Canada will continue to be made with real rice, WK Kellogg Co. said Wednesday, after the cereal’s recipe in the United Kingdom was reworked to use rice flour and corn flour in place of whole rice grains.

A spokesperson for WK Kellogg Co., which runs the brand’s business in Canada and the U.S., told CTVNews.ca the reported U.K. changes are unrelated to its North American operations. “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 company said in an email. It added there are no changes to the ingredients or recipes of those products.

The company’s statement answers a surge of searches by Canadians. Google Trends showed “rice krispies recipe change” among the most searched terms in Canada on Wednesday, with more than 10,000 searches.

U.K. media reported Tuesday that Rice Krispies and Coco Pops in that country are no longer made with whole rice grains. Kellanova/Mars Snacking, which operates Kellogg’s cereal brands outside Canada and the U.S., said the recipes have been updated and are now made using corn flour and rice flour. The company has pointed to changing weather conditions that have affected the availability of rice, according to the reports.

“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,” a Kellanova spokesperson said, as quoted by U.K. outlets.

The split between the two companies explains why the change is happening in Britain and not here. Kellogg’s cereal business is divided by region: WK Kellogg Co. handles Canada and the U.S., while Kellanova, now part of Mars, handles the brand elsewhere. The U.K. recipe is a decision of the second company, and the first says it has made no such move.

Canadian shoppers who want to check for themselves can read the ingredient list on the box. The company says the Canadian products named above remain unchanged. Reports from U.K. outlets say the British recipe change follows pressure on rice supply, a point the company has attributed to weather rather than to any trade or pricing issue.

The news comes as Canadians keep a close eye on grocery costs. Statistics Canada figures cited in our cost-of-living report show how food prices have moved, and Loblaw’s pushback on supplier price hikes and Galen Weston’s warning on food inflation have kept pantry staples in the headlines.

The Canadian Press reported the Kellogg’s statement on Wednesday. Other outlets, including The Grocer and The Irish Times, reported the U.K. reformulation.

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