New ProNutro recipe: drastically reduced total sugar, but is it still the same beloved cereal?

Popular and beloved breakfast cereal ProNutro has been thrust into the spotlight after mixed reviews from consumers over a recent, permanent formula change.

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.

In a post on social media, ProNutro said: “New generation ProNutro – Still high in energy, high in plant-based protein, high in 13 vitamins & 4 minerals … now with reduced total sugar. More versatile, enjoy it as cereal or in a shake. It’s the original, pushed further.”

But how reduced is “reduced sugar”?

A detailed look at the product’s nutritional values reveals a substantial cut in its sugar content. According to the updated nutritional information on Bokomo’s site, the new recipe contains 11.9g of total sugar per 100g, down drastically from 21.6g in the previous recipe. This marks a 45% reduction in total sugar.

The updated texture was also designed for greater versatility, allowing consumers to enjoy the product either as a traditional bowl of cereal or mixed into a shake.

The changes have sparked a heated debate among long-time fans, with some taking to social media to complain about the cereal’s new taste and texture.

PepsiCo explained that the recipe adjustment was not just for health trends, but was partly necessitated by the company’s “ageing infrastructure and unreliable equipment performance”. The manufacturer warned that without making these processing updates, “it would have negatively impacted the quality of the product expected by our consumers”.

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