The Discontinued Kellogg's Cereal Straws That Made A Triumphant Return
One of the hotter modern food trends is nostalgia-based eating. Foods that remind people of their childhoods are coming back to store shelves all the time, and one of the most popular has to be Kellogg's cereal straws. If you were a kid drinking milk in the late aughts there was no better way to do it than with a cereal straw.
Cereal straws are essentially tubes of cereal with a sweetened, milky inner lining. First released in the flavors of iconic Kellogg's cereals like Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, and Cocoa Krispies, their main draw was that they would make anything you drank with them (mostly milk) taste like your favorite cereal. You could drink up the last of your cereal milk with them too if you wanted to double down on those flavors.
They were initially launched in 2007, but would disappear two years later amidst a legal battle between Kellogg's and parents over nutrition in foods marketed to children. While cereal straws were never mentioned by name, Kellogg's did agree to reformulate or discontinue any foods that didn't meet new standards and the cereal straws were gone shortly afterwards. After a brief promotional appearance a few years later, they officially returned in 2021. The journey getting there, however, was a bendy one.
Cereal straw fans made their voices heard
About 10 years after cereal straws were discontinued by Kellogg's — just long enough for young fans to grow up — a petition was started on Change.org that lobbied for Kellogg's to bring back the Froot Loops cereal straws. This burgeoning movement would then gain more support the next year as brands like Starbucks and cities like Portland, Oregon started banning plastic straws.
An Instagram account devoted to the snacks even posted a meme that stated "since we're starting to become more environmentally savvy and ditching plastic straws, may I recommend bringing these bad boys back" with a photo of Froot Loops cereal straws. Amidst the fervor to replace plastic straws, Kellogg's gave in and released a "special-edition" of the cereal straws, though it was for a limited time only.
This new version of the beloved straws were only available at the Kellogg's Cafe in New York City. They were also only available for purchase for a single week, which left many pining for the return of cereal straws unsatisfied. Uncoincidentally, around this time the signatures on the petition jumped from 11,000 to roughly 59,000, showing that the prototype comeback had sparked interest in even more fans. It wouldn't be long until cereal straws saw a full-time comeback.
The inevitable return of cereal straws
While it's hard to say whether it was the eventual 80,000 plus signatures on the petition that did it, or the fact that most brands are cashing in on nostalgia these days, Kellogg's brought back cereal straws in 2021.
It started, as these things do, with a playful tease from Froot Loops on social media. The cereal brand commented on a Twitter post from someone once again lamenting the absence of edible straws that tasted like their favorite cereals with the message, "2021 could be your year."
About a week later, Kellogg's would announce that the 12 year break was over, and that cereal straws would be returning in the fall. This only included the Froot Loops and Cocoa Krispies varieties, but fans — including those on Reddit — were thrilled. It was especially exciting because this wasn't a one-time stunt release. This time cereal straws came back as a year-round offering. While they are commonly found in grocery stores today, it remains to be seen whether they'll stick around longer than they did the first time.