{"id":858874,"date":"2026-05-01T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=858874"},"modified":"2026-05-01T07:14:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T05:14:57","slug":"iconic-64-year-old-cereal-brand-apologises-to-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/858874\/iconic-64-year-old-cereal-brand-apologises-to-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Iconic 64-year-old cereal brand apologises to South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Iconic cereal brand ProNutro has apologised to South Africans following the launch of a “New Generation” formula, which changed its texture and reduced sugar content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The change led to public backlash, with many calling on the 64-year-old brand to return to its original formula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PepsiCo, which owns the Bokomo brand, said the change was mainly due to its need to replace the older equipment, which had become outdated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cereal brand said the older machinery used to make the cereal had become unreliable and could degrade product quality over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PepsiCo said the brand had conducted a national consumer taste test, with both current ProNutro customers and consumers of other cereals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to ProNutro, its new packaging clearly states the change, which was done in order to maintain transparency with its customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the launch of the “New Generation” ProNutro, the brand said the country provided “mixed feedback.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late April, ProNutro released an apology to South Africans after receiving complaints and pleas to bring back the old cereal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Although the old ProNutro formulation won\u2019t be coming back, the cereal manufacturer has taken on board consumers’ feedback and will be making improvements,” said the brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Consumers expressed concern predominantly around the new product’s texture and mixability,” it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“While the new production process will not fully resolve texture challenges, ProNutro have acknowledged consumer feedback and will focus over the coming weeks to enhance mixability.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cereal brand said that amid its new improvements, there will be a short period of time during which the product will be unavailable on the shelf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to ProNutro, using new technology to produce the new recipe was the only viable solution available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe new recipe offers reduced total sugar per serving across all variants, ensuring that the cereal not only tastes great but also supports healthier choices for families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new formulation aims to cut CO\u2082 emissions by 12.7%, reduce packaging by 12.8%, and decrease water usage by 6.7%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The brand aims for this initiative to have a positive impact on its manufacturing footprint while still delivering high-quality products to customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 64-year-old South African cereal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since its launch to the public in 1962, ProNutro has become known as the world’s first nutraceutical cereal, providing health benefits in addition to its basic nutritional value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The brand said that the Original High-Protein Cereal delivers plant-based protein and energy, along with 13 vitamins and 4 minerals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1900s, the South African Institute for Medical Research developed the ProNutro brand to address the large-scale protein deficiency and malnutrition in South Africa at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the cereal was first started, the brand has expanded its range to include several flavours, including chocolate, banana, strawberry, and original.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some flavours that were introduced over the cereal’s lifespan have been discontinued, such as the wholewheat honey melt flavour and the honey flavour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ProNutro brand also released a range of cereal bars, including chocolate and original flavour protein bars, as well as creamy strawberry, caramel chocolate, and chocolate brownie high protein bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ProNutro has been a popular cereal choice amongst South Africans due to its high protein, vitamins, minerals, and fibre content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ProNutro contains plant protein that reportedly assists in muscle repair and growth, which is why many South Africans start their day with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cereal is said to contain a variety of vitamins, including Vitamin A, B-complex vitamins, and Vitamin C, as well as minerals such as iron, zinc, and calcium.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ProNutro, which contains fibre, aids in digestion and is said to help maintain a feeling of fullness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ProNutro says sorry to South Africans after a new move by the iconic 64-year-old brand sparked public outrage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":858935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[6819,25314],"class_list":["post-858874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-pepsico","tag-pronutro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=858874"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":858980,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858874\/revisions\/858980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/858935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=858874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=858874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=858874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}