Gluten Free Rice Krispies being discontinued; photo from 2011
Such a bummer. This morning I confirmed with Kellogg’s the news that their Gluten Free Rice Krispies is being discontinued.
The customer service agent I spoke with confirmed the fate of the cereal which was introduced in 2011. He explained the Gluten Free Rice Krispies was being discontinued because of “manufacturing constraints”. I asked what that meant…but he didn’t have the information to elaborate.
He did suggest that their gluten free Special K cereal with brown sugar was quite good. I told him that I agreed with that statement, but I can’t make Gluten Free Rice Krispie bars with it. He agreed.
GF Rice Krispies is still on the main website
Gluten free Rice Krispies is not in the product locator options but it IS listed on the “discontinued products” link below
I will say, I use the cereal all the time for Rice Krispie bars and EVERYONE loves them. In fact I think they actually have a little more depth of flavor. So maybe the gluten free Rice Krispie bar market alone isn’t enough to sustain the cereal.
After my phone call, I did email the company as well about it. I asked what “manufacturing constraints” meant — Were they no longer able to sustain a gluten free environment to make the cereal? Was it an ingredient issue? Is it a cost issue– not worth the cost for the amount of people who buy it. I also asked how they can’t make this cereal successful when General Mills is rolling out successful gluten-free cereals. <– I doubt that question will get answered, by the way.
But it is a REAL question. How can General Mills be rolling out a reformulated Cheerios line that is now gluten free and have success when Rice Krispies can’t keep it’s GF cereal line afloat? Maybe it is because Kellogg’s created a wholly separate cereal versus the two big gluten free cereals General Mills created, were reformulated so EVERYONE still buys them instead of just the niche market. If regular Rice Krispies could just remove the malt flavor from their product, that would certainly help!
I don’t think the marketing was there to support the Gluten Free Rice Krispies either. From my layman’s perspective, I haven’t seen any real ads or marketing for the product in some time.
I wonder if Kellogg’s will try to replace this cereal with another version?? That remains to be seen. If I hear back from Kellogg’s I will certainly let you know. But for now, you should probably snap up the boxes that remain on store shelves.
Tags: bars, celiac, cereal, discontinued, free, gluten, gluten-free, gone, Kellogg's, manufacture, Rice Krispies, sesinsitive
March 27th, 2015 at 9:13 am
No! This is such sad news! I lender found another GF crisp rice cereal that matched Rice Krispies.
I just went on Amazon to stock up on GF Rice Krispies before it’s too late…but it’s too late. $10 a box was the cheapest I saw.
March 27th, 2015 at 9:15 am
Hopefully your $10 was for more than just one box. It is disappointing. This was my go-to dessert for many potlucks!
March 27th, 2015 at 9:47 am
I posted this to Facebook. Feel free to copy it and let’s see if we can create a positive pressure on Kellogg’s.
I am looking for help from FB friends. Kellogg’s has decided to discontinue the Gluten Free Rice Krispies. As if having Celiac isn’t hard enough for a child, at least when we have safe products that we can substitute for the gluten filled ones, it makes life a bit easier for our children. It may not seem like a big deal, but to be able to make Gluten Free Rice Krispy treats for my child (and the many others like him) means a lot to him.
Please call Kellogg’s and ask them to reconsider.
Kellogg’s customer service 1-800-962-1413 (Monday – Friday 8 AM to 7 PM ET)
And share please.
March 27th, 2015 at 9:52 am
Are they reformulating the regular kind not to include barley? That would be cool
March 27th, 2015 at 9:56 am
didnt know they were doing away with GFrice krispies I’ve been looking for the GF Special K here but still not in the stores
March 27th, 2015 at 10:01 am
it is a shame. I guess Starbucks will stop selling the bars too then. isn’t there a company out there who could make them?
March 27th, 2015 at 10:22 am
Ugh. I am thinking that their “manufacturing constraints” is really a fancy way of saying: ‘We are tired of being uber careful for gluten/wheat free people, let’s go back to the way we were before.’ Where as we the consumers do not have that option. Otherwise I would have gone back to all the delicious wheat/gluten foods the world has to offer.
March 27th, 2015 at 11:30 am
They are not reformulating regular RK, that we know of.
March 27th, 2015 at 11:31 am
Thank you for the additional info!
March 27th, 2015 at 11:32 am
No, it’s my staple. Send these comments to your contact What will I eat for breakfast?
March 27th, 2015 at 11:58 am
This is sad news, however it won’t effect me much as I was never able to find them. Maybe distribution was part of the problem, too. At least we have Chex, but I am excited for Cheerios!
March 27th, 2015 at 12:25 pm
There is a GF company that makes a “Crispy Brown Rice” cereal similar to Kellog’s Rice Krispies. The company is Erewhon and I’ve been able to find their cereal in more stores than the Kellog’s GF version. I also prefer Erewhon’s version as well because it is organic and non-GMO. The only downside is that it’s more expensive than the Kellog’s version. But then again, that’s something I’m used to anyway when it comes to GF foods.
March 27th, 2015 at 12:47 pm
Months ago when I was having a hard time finding them in my area, they were ALREADY $10 a box on Amazon. ;_;
It’s not just the celiac community – this is a blow to the food allergy community as well.
March 27th, 2015 at 1:57 pm
FYI…General Mills is claiming their Cheerios are gluten free, however they use regular oats, not certified GF Oats. They state they use a patented mechanical separation process and have declined to reveal the details of that process. Most likely Rice Krispies labeled gluten free have failed to meet FDA requirements for under 20 ppm and the company would have to make costly equipment/facility changes to ensure FDA compliance. There is a possibility the GF Rice Krispies could be not safe for Celiacs. I wouldn’t trust them, and I won’t eat Cheerios as a precaution. I don’t trust these companies to comply rigorously enough to FDA standards while using non-GF certified oats. I don’t think a mechanical separation process could be sufficient.
March 27th, 2015 at 1:59 pm
http://www.glutenfreeliving.com/gluten-free-foods/diet/gluten-free-cheerios/
March 27th, 2015 at 2:08 pm
We’ve actually been using Rice Chex to make Rice Krispy treats. Me and my whole gluten-eating family like them even better!
March 27th, 2015 at 2:21 pm
You will have to come to Canada to buy them. Confirmed today by Kellogg’s Canada that Gluten Free Brown Rice Krispies will not be discontinued in Canada. They are in short supply right now because of a plant closure, but not discontinued.
March 27th, 2015 at 2:50 pm
I make homemade gf granola bars (my recipe) at least once a week. This product is a critical part of the recipe! I hope they change their mind or give us some alternative products….
March 27th, 2015 at 4:16 pm
I just called to complain. The guy registered my complaint and said if enough people call and complain they might reconsider. Apparently it wasn’t selling very well. I told them they didn’t market it at all. That would help!
March 31st, 2015 at 11:00 am
So sad, loved them…so sad, people with allergies always get the short end of the stick….Booo Kelloggs
March 31st, 2015 at 12:43 pm
I only found the GF Rice Krispies in my local (thirty miles away) stores once in the year since my celiac diagnosis. I looked every time I made the trek and they never appeared. I so want to share Rice Krispie Treats with my grandchildren. If they cannot make it financially with the gluten free Rice Krispies, I would love to see them just delete the barley malt from the regular cereal so all of us can enjoy it. If Chex and Cheerios can do it, so can Rice Krispies. They were an excellent product.
September 25th, 2015 at 5:01 pm
PLEASE BRING BACK GF RICE KRISPIES…MY SON IS DENIED ENOUGH IN LIFE AS IT IS SINCE HE IS NOT ONLY CELIAC, BUT ALLERGIC TO EGGS, CORN AND NUTS, ITS A NICE TREAT TO HAVE THE GF RICE KRISPIES.
PLEASE RECONSIDER.
September 29th, 2015 at 3:44 pm
Walmart sells the Malt-o-Meal brand of Rice Krispies and they are gluten free…and a lot cheaper. They definitely are not as good as the Kellogg’s version but are fine, especially when making treats out of them.
October 16th, 2015 at 4:50 pm
I was going to mention the malt o meal brand also.Theirs is gluten free, and its available at quite a few stores (it’s in a bag) I’m in Portland, and I picked somw up at Winco.
November 2nd, 2015 at 10:15 pm
PEOPLE!! Erewhon brand is just as good if not better than GF RK!! They make fantastic bars and don’t have the cancer-causing BHT in them. They taste amazing. Even when I had the opportunity to buy GF RK cereal, I didn’t because of the friggin BHT. Start getting to know what’s going in your body. Google chemical names and learn.
November 7th, 2015 at 6:44 am
Just an fyi. Aldi’s now sells gluten free rice krispie treats. Taste just like the ones you could buy. Granted it’s not homemade,but it is nice to still be able to find a rice Krispy treat that taste like it should! And its ridiculous that they discontinued these. It was a happy day when i found these. Guess the gluten intolerant market just isn’t as important to them. 😕 very disappointing.
November 7th, 2015 at 9:39 am
I would have bought the kellogg brand gf rice krispies if they didn’t put preservatives in the box liner.
November 9th, 2015 at 8:00 am
No wonder I can’t find them anymore–good grief. If they have a separate facility for Special K (they have to have)–why not Rice Krispies?
November 19th, 2015 at 9:00 pm
I checked the ingredients of the malt o melt brand and it says they contain malt extract, which I’ve read is a source of gluten. Anyone know more about this? I liked the GF Rice Krispies too. 🙁
November 19th, 2015 at 9:01 pm
I meant “malt o meal”. Oops!
December 12th, 2015 at 5:16 pm
I’m not GF but I enjoyed the gluten-free Rice Krispies because they do have a stronger flavor. I assume it’s the brown rice, which also adds fiber. The regular Krispies just taste bland to me now. This is a shame. They should make brown rice Krispies even if they can’t keep them totally GF.
February 16th, 2016 at 9:33 pm
Try gluten free Rice Chex bars…. same recipe as Rice Krispies. Works and tastes great!! Too bad GM, Kellogg’s bests you on this one!
April 19th, 2016 at 5:44 pm
So bummed and frustrated to hear this. It’s really so easy to just shift formulas to take out wheat and make it one-size-fits-all because that’ “size” is all there is. Let’s not be so afraid of everyone’s spending dollars and create food that is good for people. Personally, i don’t think anyone should eat wheat anymore. We, as a nation, as a culture are overloaded in it.
Ok enough band standing… I just want to make rice crispie treats for my customers. 🙂
April 21st, 2016 at 5:34 pm
I have been trying to get g/f rice krispies and was shocked you just can’t get them, why can,t kelllogg,s take the rye out I don’t know, which would be.g/f those who can eat Gulton would not notice the different also suppermarket own brands would be wonderful, wishful thinking
September 12th, 2016 at 3:40 pm
Please bring them back! I loved the gluten free ones!
September 20th, 2016 at 10:01 pm
I found an off brand at Aldi’s that I’d It is called Millville Crispy Rice. Does the job just fine? 😊
https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrB8pi19.FXmicAKyCKnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTIyaGRna3FkBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZANmYzM1YWJkNDgwY2I0NzM0MDc4NGM1NTdmODgwYjVjOARncG9zAzEEaXQDYmluZw–?.origin=&back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dmillville%2Bcrispy%2Brice%26n%3D60%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dipad%26fr2%3Dsb-top-images.search.yahoo.com%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D1&w=388&h=314&imgurl=www.aldi.us%2Ftypo3temp%2Fpics%2F070914_R_44103_MVL_CrispRiceCereal_D_363c7f9fe8.jpg&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aldi.us%2Fen%2Fweekly-specials%2Fnew-low-prices%2Fnlp-detail%2Fps%2Fp%2Fmillville-crisp-rice-cereal%2F&size=42.4KB&name=Homepage+Weekly+Specials+New+Low+Prices+%3Cb%3EMillville%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3ECrisp%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3ERice%3C%2Fb%3E+Cereal&p=millville+crispy+rice&oid=fc35abd480cb47340784c557f880b5c8&fr2=sb-top-images.search.yahoo.com&fr=ipad&tt=Homepage+Weekly+Specials+New+Low+Prices+%3Cb%3EMillville%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3ECrisp%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3ERice%3C%2Fb%3E+Cereal&b=0&ni=108&no=1&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=132ssgqnc&sigb=14fvpn4uc&sigi=12euj9lv3&sigt=12omeu372&sign=12omeu372&.crumb=E3o3jKXppbe&fr=ipad&fr2=sb-top-images.search.yahoo.com
September 20th, 2016 at 10:08 pm
What are your thoughts Catholic Churches celiac substitute for host? Church requires it to have trace of wheat to be considered legit. Panel in Europe said safe as it is very minute. Thoughts?