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. The Canadian website still shows rice as the cereal's main ingredient, but also warns of barley and gluten as 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. 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. 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. These 5 grocery staples have skyrocketed in price this year. Here's why How the Canada-U.S. trade war might change your shopping habits 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
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