Kellogg’s has changed the recipe for two of its best-known breakfast cereals, and plenty of shoppers aren’t happy about it. Rice Krispies and Coco Pops are no longer made with whole grains of rice, which has left some fans looking at cheaper supermarket versions instead. The good news for anyone thinking of making the switch is that most of the big supermarkets say they have no plans to change their own-brand recipes, so the familiar crunch should still be there.
What Kellogg’s has changed and why
Rice Krispies used to be made from grains of rice that were puffed up and toasted, but the cereal is now made with rice flour instead. That small change has had a noticeable effect, with the famous snap, crackle, and pop sounding a little quieter when you pour on the milk. For a cereal whose whole personality is built around that noise, and whose cartoon mascots are even named after it, it’s no surprise the change has caught people’s attention. Coco Pops has been given a similar makeover, swapping its rice for a mix of rice flour and corn flour.
Kellogg’s says the decision comes down to shifts in the weather, which have affected how good and how easy to get hold of its rice and grains are. The company explained that the new recipe is meant to help keep the quality of its cereals the same from box to box. Wheat gluten has also been added to both cereals to help with their texture, which is something people with certain allergies will want to know about. Big food firms often tweak recipes quietly over time, but changes to such well-loved products rarely go unnoticed for long.
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How shoppers have reacted
Many long-time fans have taken to social media to say they’re disappointed with the new taste and feel of the cereals. For a lot of people, these are breakfast favourites they’ve been eating since childhood, so any change to the recipe tends to get noticed straight away. Some have described the new version as a real letdown, saying it simply doesn’t taste the way it used to.
Some have said they’ll be heading to the supermarket own-brand aisle instead, naming options such as Aldi’s Crisp Rice and M&S’s Choco Pops. That led to an obvious question about whether those cheaper versions might be changing too, so the major UK supermarkets were asked whether they had any plans to remove rice from their recipes. Most of them were quick to reply, and the answers were largely reassuring.
M&S, Aldi, and Morrisons are keeping things the same.
Marks & Spencer sells Rice Pops for £1.10 a 500g box and Choco Pops for £1.30 a 500g box. Both are made with puffed rice and have added vitamins and iron, and the chocolate version has a chocolate-flavoured coating. M&S says there are no changes planned for either of them, so regular buyers can expect the same cereal they’re used to. At that price, they also work out among the better-value options for a big box.
Aldi’s Harvest Morn Crisp Rice costs £1.19 for 375g, while its Harvest Morn Choco Rice is £1.15 for 375g, and both are made with rice. The budget chain says it doesn’t believe there are any plans to alter them at the moment. Over at Morrisons, Rice Crackles are £1.25 for 375g and Choco Crackles are £1.53 for 500g, and the supermarket has confirmed it has no current plans to change either recipe. Both are made with rice grains, so they should taste much the same as they always have.
Waitrose, Asda, and Lidl also confirm no changes.
Waitrose sells Essential Rice Pops for £1.40 a 375g box, which are toasted crisp rice with added vitamins and iron. Its Essential Choco Pops cost £1.35 for 375g and are made with toasted puffed rice coated in chocolate. The John Lewis Partnership, which owns Waitrose, says neither recipe has been changed. Its boxes are a little pricier than some rivals, but they’re a handy pick for anyone who does their weekly shop there.
At Asda, shoppers can pick up Rice Snaps for £1.15 a 375g box and Choco Snaps for £1.15 a 500g box, both made with puffed rice, and the supermarket says no changes have been made to them. Lidl’s Crownfield Rice Snaps and Crownfield Choco Rice both cost £1.09 for 500g, and with rice still on the ingredients list, Lidl says it has no plans to change either one. At £1.09 for a large box, these are the cheapest of the bunch when you compare price by weight.
Where things stand at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Co-op
Tesco sells Rice Snaps for 89p a 375g box and Choco Snaps for £1.25 a 500g box. The Rice Snaps were showing as out of stock on its website at the time of writing, but both products currently list rice in their ingredients. Tesco hasn’t yet said whether it has any plans to update the recipes. The supermarket describes its grains as carefully selected, and at 89p, its Rice Snaps are one of the cheapest boxes on this list.
Sainsbury’s Rice Pops and Choco Rice Pops are both 95p for 375g, and rice is listed as the main ingredient in each one. The supermarket hasn’t yet confirmed whether any changes are on the way either. Co-op, meanwhile, no longer sells its own version of either cereal, so shoppers there will only find the Kellogg’s boxes on the shelves. Anyone who shops mainly at Co-op and wants to avoid the new recipe may need to pick up their cereal elsewhere.
A new ingredient to watch for if you avoid wheat
Rice Krispies and Coco Pops were never gluten-free because they already contained barley malt extract. Adding wheat gluten is a bigger issue for anyone with a wheat allergy, though, as it means the cereals are no longer safe for them to eat. Parents of children with this kind of allergy will need to be particularly careful, as these cereals are often a go-to breakfast for younger ones.
All of the own-brand cereals mentioned above also contain barley malt extract, but most don’t include wheat. Tesco and Morrisons make their rice cereals without wheat, and while Asda’s version doesn’t use it as an ingredient, the box warns that it may contain traces. Sainsbury’s Rice Pops don’t list wheat either, but the supermarket says they aren’t suitable for people with a wheat allergy because of the way they’re made. That usually means wheat is handled in the same factory, so there’s a chance of small amounts getting into the cereal.
Gluten-free versions on the shelves
If you need to avoid gluten altogether, several supermarkets sell free-from versions of rice cereal. Tesco’s Free From Rice Snaps cost £1.95 for 300g, Morrisons sells Free From Rice Crackles at the same price and size, and M&S has its Made Without Gluten-Free Rice Pops for £2.30 for 300g. Each of these is clearly labelled, so they’re easy to find in the free-from aisle.
Asda has stocked its own Free From Rice Snaps in the past, although they aren’t showing on its website right now. A few supermarkets also offer free-from chocolate rice cereals, so there are still choices for families who want a chocolatey breakfast without the gluten. These ranges tend to cost a bit more than standard boxes, but they’re made to be safe for people with coeliac disease, who can’t eat barley malt either.
Checking the box before it goes in your trolley
Recipes can change without much warning, so the safest habit is to read the ingredients list each time you buy, even if it’s a cereal you’ve been picking up for years. This matters most for anyone with an allergy, since a familiar box might not contain exactly what it used to. Allergy information is usually printed in bold within the ingredients, which makes it quicker to spot anything you need to avoid.
If you’ve gone off the new Rice Krispies or Coco Pops, the supermarket versions are an easy way to get that crunchy, rice-based breakfast back. Many of them cost less than the branded boxes, and for now at least, nearly all of them are still made with whole rice. Trying a couple of different brands side by side is a simple way to find the one your household likes best, and it could save you a little on the weekly shop as well.
