Sour Patch cereal is coming soon

First they're sour, then they're sweet. Now, they're cereal.

Sour Patch Kids are no longer just candy. Post is launching a cereal version of Mondelez's signature sour gummies. Starting Dec. 26, customers can pick up a box of Sour Patch Kids Cereal exclusively at Walmart for $3.98, according to a press release emailed to Food Dive.

While Walmart may be the first to offer it, the product should hit store shelves at many major retailers nationwide in June 2019. The cereal will feature a "sour coating" with a "sweet finish," similar to the candy itself, according to the release.

This isn't the first time manufacturers have turned candy and cookie brands into breakfast treats. Last year, Post reintroduced its Oreo cereal after it had been off the market 10 years. The company also made Chips Ahoy and Nutter Butter into cereals. Post isn't stopping there. Just this week, it announced it will be launching Hostess Donettes and Hostess Honey Buns in cereal form.

This is a bold move, given that other cereal brands have been phasing out artificial flavors and limiting sugar amounts. This new sour cereal could be a hit or miss with consumers depending whether parents let their kids give it a try and if the taste satisfies shoppers of all ages.

Post Holdings is known for its ready-to-eat cereals, but in its most recent earnings the company's cereal brands only performed slightly better than last year. If it is popular among consumers, this wacky sour cereal could sweeten those numbers in the future.

—Lillianna Byington

Have your ice cream and profit too

Few ice cream flavors from Ben & Jerry's have piled up scoop after scoop consistently for decades as Cherry Garcia. Now Royalty Exchange, an auction site, is giving ice cream lovers and fans of Jerry Garcia, a founder of the iconic band Grateful Dead, the chance to benefit from every pint of the ice cream that gets sold.

The winner of the auction, which is scheduled to end Sunday, will earn royalties for the next decade.

Originally introduced in 1987 by Ben & Jerry's (now part of consumer products giant Unilever), Cherry Garcia sales are still on the rise, growing 7% in 2017 after rising 6% in the prior year, according to Royalty Exchange. The earnings generated from the ice cream for the owner of this auction totaled more than $6,700 during the last 12 months.

But if you want to win this ice cream auction it's going to cost you something else with a chilly reputation: cold hard cash. As of Friday morning, the top bid was $46,250 — the equivalent of 10,559 pints of Cherry Garcia at Walmart.

—Christopher Doering

Oreo Drink Mix creates milk's favorite … milk?

For all those people who like drinking milk after serious Oreos dipping sessions, a new product makes it easier to get that taste — without the hassle of actually dipping Oreos. Hitting store shelves now is Oreo Drink Mix, which is made with actual cookie crumbs and is intended to be mixed into milk like other beverages like Quik and Ovaltine.

On one hand, this sounds like a brilliant idea. Many cookie lovers enjoy drinking leftover dipping milk, and this product makes it easier to get that. Plus, according to the packaging, it has less sugar than chocolate syrup, which is often used to make chocolate milk.

However, the product also leaves people wondering who, exactly, is it for? Most of the fun of Oreos and milk is actually dipping and eating the cookies. It seems somewhat counterproductive to have a powder that lets consumers skip the best part. Maybe it makes sense for consumers who are out of Oreos, or parents who won't let their children eat more cookies but are OK with drinking flavored milk.

Regardless, the product is an interesting new twist on Oreo cookies. While the iconic sandwich cookie has taken on many different flavors, it hasn't been a beverage before. But will consumers be willing to trade dunking for just drinking? Or will they supercharge the experience by mixing up some Oreo Drink, then dipping cookies in it?

—Megan Poinski