ProNutro discontinued in South Africa after failed recipe comeback - IOL
Manufacturer PepsiCo has officially introduced a "new generation" of the iconic South African staple, featuring an updated texture, more versatile usage, improved packaging, and a reduction in sugar.
South Africa’s much-loved ProNutro cereal will be discontinued after PepsiCo said it was unable to recreate the taste and texture that South Africans knew and loved in the original product.
The announcement comes months after the company introduced a “New Generation ProNutro”, which brought changes to the cereal’s recipe, texture and packaging.
In a statement shared on Wednesday, PepsiCo said ProNutro had been part of South African households and family routines for generations.
“Earlier this year, we introduced New Generation ProNutro to keep the brand available to consumers, while preserving its nutritional benefits and producing it in a more environmentally sustainable way,” the company said.
However, the reformulated product was met with criticism from some consumers, particularly over its taste and texture.
“After launch, some consumers told us the new product experience was not what they expected from ProNutro, particularly in relation to taste, texture and mixability,” PepsiCo said.
“We listened and explored options to bring back the original product experience, but we were unable to recreate the taste and texture consumers associated with the original ProNutro.”
PepsiCo said it had subsequently conducted a review before making the decision to discontinue the cereal in South Africa.
“After a long and careful review, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue ProNutro in South Africa. We are grateful for the support consumers have shown the brand over many years,” the company said.
The announcement follows the April launch of the new ProNutro recipe, which PepsiCo had promoted as retaining the cereal’s nutritional benefits while offering a new product experience.
The new product was also designed to be more versatile, with PepsiCo promoting it for use both as a traditional cereal and mixed into a shake.
The changes prompted complaints from some long-time ProNutro consumers about the taste and texture. PepsiCo had previously explained that the recipe adjustment was partly linked to ageing infrastructure and unreliable equipment performance, saying processing updates were needed to maintain product quality.
