General Mills is launching a “Loaded” cereal lineup aimed at making buyers feel “cereal rich” as the company looks to attract more Gen Z consumers and convince them that cereal is a snacking option.

The cereals are a new sub-brand of existing cereals Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs and Trix, with cereal pieces filled with vanilla creme. This, of course, is not a health food play. Instead, General Mills is portraying it as an affordable indulgence.

“We wanted to give them a rich eating experience, but at the cost of a cereal box,” said Mindy Murray, brand experience director of morning foods at General Mills, adding that the marketer “leaned into the maximalism trend on TikTok,” which refers to content that encompasses a feeling of excess, like colorful, patterned furniture, clothes and accessories.

According to Murray, the idea came from a consumer insight that Gen Z doesn’t believe that they need to be financially wealthy to have a rich life.

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General Mills, with help from Edelman, will work with creators to film “Get Cereal Rich with Me”s, a variation on the popular “Get Ready With Me” TikTok trend, which often shows people getting dressed, packing or putting on makeup. Creators will be given a metallic gold crown-shaped bowl, a robe with removable pockets meant to hold cereal and a two-in-one jade roller/spoon.

“We know that the majority of our eating occasions are still at breakfast,” Murray said. “But depending on a consumer’s life stage, they could be engaging in late-night eating, sending cereal to school with their kids as a snack or having breakfast for dinner.”

Cereal beyond the breakfast table

General Mills isn’t the only food marketer trying to get consumers to eat cereal outside of breakfast. Kellogg’s made a giant Froot Loops snack pack, as well as on-the-go cereal bowls that just need water. Post made its own snacking version, OK Go! (which led to a lawsuit with the band OK Go.)

General Mills also makes cereal bars. Keto-friendly snack brand Catalina Crunch has a line of cereals that come in smaller, resealable, portable pouches. Outside of cereal, Kellogg’s sponsorship of college football’s Pop-Tarts Bowl—which went viral—was aimed at getting more people to consider the toaster pastries as a snack option.

Kelsey Olsen, food and drink analyst at Mintel, points to a few reasons for the snack push. For starters, Gen Z is just more open to what’s considered a snack.

“We see that Gen Z is snacking more often throughout the day,” Olsen said. “Part of it could be convenience. It’s easy to piece together snacks to make it a meal, like we saw with the Girl Dinner trend. It could be that they don’t know how to cook, and cereal is accessible. And texture and taste play a role. People often think of snacks as salty, and cereal is that crunchier, sweeter option.”

Olsen added that older consumers might look for high fiber and low sugar in their cereals, but younger buyers don’t necessarily see those as healthy, and value taste over health benefits.

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The investment in cereal snack marketing comes as brands try to overcome sales declines in the category. Unit sales for the U.S. cold cereal category were down 4.8% in the 52-week period that ended on Dec. 23, but prices per unit were up 10.5%, as brands dealt with inflation, according to Circana, a market research firm. General Mills reported that net sales for its U.S. snacks and morning foods businesses were both down mid-single digits in its fiscal 2024 second quarter, which ended Nov. 26.

“Cereal is still accessible,” Olsen said. “Consumers find room for it in their budgets. It can be a comfort food.”

The Loaded line comes after General Mills saw success with its Minis line, miniaturized versions of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Reese’s Puffs and Trix. According to Murray, Minis came out of the Mini Brands craze that was popular in the height of COVID-19 — tiny versions of pizzas, sodas, candy and other pantry staples. She declined to share specific sales figures.

“Our brands have been in a consistent form forever,” said General Mills’ Murray. “As we continue to push innovation, form is something we look at. Our Minis line pushed small, so now we are pushing the far edges of big with Loaded.”