General Mills is bringing a fresh packaging innovation to cereal boxes with the launch of a resealable bag.
The food maker partnered with Ziploc to introduce what it says is the first resealable bag inside a traditional cereal box. General Mills said it receives "hundreds of thousands of requests, comments and reactions annually” from consumers who want a way to keep their cereal fresher for a longer period of time.
An estimated 90% of shoppers already take extra steps beyond simply closing the cereal box to help preserve freshness, General Mills noted. That could include folding, rolling, clipping bags or storing the cereal in another container.
The new packaging has the Ziploc closure on about half the bag. When opened, the bag forms a spout to make it easier to pour cereal and prevent spillage.
“Cheerios with Ziploc PantrySeal takes a small, everyday cereal frustration and finally gives consumers the simple solution they've been asking for, making the whole routine easier and more enjoyable,” Emilie Knox, vice president and business unit director for Cheerios at General Mills, said in a statement.
Cheerios with Ziploc PantrySeal is available for Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios on Walmart’s e-commerce platform. The product will debut at other retailers nationwide in the coming months.
The packaging innovation comes as cereal manufacturers look for ways to revive the category and position the breakfast staple as a more attractive option for today’s consumers who are cutting spending and changing what they look for in food.
Cereal sales have fallen during the last decade as consumers turn to healthier foods, skip breakfast altogether, or embrace more portable options such as bars. General Mills, WK Kellogg and Post Holdings have all moved to expand innovation and add nutrients, such as protein, in an effort to attract consumers.
But General Mills is taking that a step further by rolling out a significant change to the packaging of Cheerios, the top-selling cereal brand, according to Nielsen data.
At least 80% of consumers in 2024 said they bought a new product because the packaging caught their attention, according to data analytics firm BusinessDasher. Nearly three-quarters of respondents added that packaging can influence their purchasing decisions.
Roughly half of consumers surveyed said they switched brands because of the packaging. Companies, not surprisingly, also benefited, with 30% reporting an uptick in revenue after improving product packaging.
Faulty packaging can heavily weigh on sales.
Kraft Heinz said last month it was renovating Oscar Mayer deli fresh packaging after the brand drove 60% of the food giant’s North American market share losses in the first half of the year.
CEO Steven Cahillane told analysts that a resealability issue was “the vast majority of the problem” and that Oscar Mayer “lost a lot of distribution” at retailers as a result.
