PepsiCo discontinues ProNutro cereal in South Africa after reformulation backlash

ProNutro cereal is being discontinued in South Africa after 64 years, following sustained consumer backlash over changes to its taste and texture.

PepsiCo, which owns the brand, confirmed the decision this week after months of complaints about a reformulated version introduced earlier in 2026 following changes to the product's production process and equipment, SABC News reported.

The “New Generation” ProNutro quickly drew criticism from consumers who said it no longer tasted or felt like the cereal they had known for decades.

PepsiCo subsequently investigated whether it could restore the original recipe but said it was unable to recreate the previous taste and texture, and opted instead to discontinue the cereal, ending one of South Africa's longest-running breakfast brands, on shelves since 1962.

The product had already become difficult to find in recent months, prompting speculation among consumers that production had quietly stopped before this week's confirmation. It remains unclear whether other ProNutro-branded products, such as cereal bars, will also be affected; the brand remained listed on the Bokomo website at the time of the announcement, though the catalogue may not yet reflect the change.

Consumer reaction has been strongly nostalgic and largely critical of the reformulation, if not of the brand itself. Commentators told IOL that PepsiCo had "messed with a winning formula" and questioned why the original recipe could not simply have continued.

The Citizen reported widespread nostalgia for ProNutro as a childhood and family staple, with particular fondness for banana ProNutro and traditional combinations of the cereal with milk and coffee, alongside more scathing reactions, including one consumer who described the new formulation as “the most expensive cement there is”.

The Citizen also reported that not all reaction was negative, with some consumers saying they had never liked the product or had already stopped buying it over price before the reformulation, while elsewhere it was reported that dissatisfied consumers had switched to alternatives including Weet-Bix and FutureLife.

Reaction has been mixed and heavily nostalgic, with users describing ProNutro as part of growing up in South Africa while acknowledging that poor reception of the new formulation had contributed to its withdrawal.

The episode is notable as a business story beyond the nostalgia, since the consumer backlash appears to have directly contributed to the product's discontinuation: PepsiCo said it investigated restoring the original formulation but could not do so, SABC News reported.

The Citizen reported that, even before this week's announcement, major retailers were already reporting little or no ProNutro stock in August, while consumers who could still find it continued to complain about the reformulated product.