Popular Cereal Brand to Reimburse Customers Who Overpaid During Shortage Amid the shortage, third-party sellers were reportedly selling the cereal for more than $100.
By Justin Chan Edited by Jessica Thomas
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Grape-Nuts, a customer favorite from parent company Post Consumer Brands, is finally returning to supermarket shelves, USA Today reports.
Towards the end of last year, the company experienced a shortage as a result of pandemic-related production issues. The scarcity of Grape-Nuts cereal subsequently caused a tremendous hike in its price, according to the publication. In January, for instance, a third-party seller on Walmart reportedly listed a 4-pound box for $110. A 64-ounce box typically retails for $6.49, while a 20.5-ounce box costs $4.29 and a 29-ounce box $4.99.
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In response to the price jump, Post Consumer Brands said that it would reimburse customers who spent $10 or more on for a box of Grape-Nuts Original cereal between Nov. 1, 2020 and March 15. In order to receive a reimbursement, however, customers must send "a valid retailer or e-retailer receipt for a partial refund of up to $115 to help cover the difference between the amount paid and the suggested retail price of the Grape-Nuts Original cereal box purchased."
"It became abundantly clear during the shortage that Grape-Nuts fans are "Nuts for Grape-Nuts,'" Grape-Nuts brand manager Kristin DeRock told USA Today in a statement. "So much so that some of our loyal super fans were willing to pay extreme prices just to ensure they wouldn't be without their favorite crunchy cereal."
Grape-Nuts isn't the only cereal to make headlines recently. On Monday, writer and podcast host Jensen Karp took to Twitter to share a photo of what he believed were shrimp tails in his Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Ummmm @CTCSquares - why are there shrimp tails in my cereal? (This is not a bit) pic.twitter.com/tTjiAdrnVp
— Jensen Karp (@JensenKarp) March 22, 2021
The tweet immediately went viral, receiving over 14,000 retweets. It also prompted a response from the cereal brand's social media account.
"We're sorry to see what you found!" the brand tweeted back. "We would like to report this to our quality team and replace the box. Can you please send us a DM to collect more details? Thanks!"
Upon "further investigation," Cinnamon Toast Crunch later claimed that the items were, in fact, an "accumulation of the cinnamon sugar that sometimes can occur when ingredients are thoroughly blended" — an assertion that Karp has since disputed.
