General Mills quietly discontinues three cereals fans loved | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

Yes, we know studies tell us cereal isn’t good for us and that we should choose healthier breakfast options.

But especially if you grew up in an era before that was common knowledge, there’s just something so comforting about a bowl of cereal.

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It reminds you of innocent childhood mornings watching cartoons in your pajamas while your parents mulled about in the background, and feeling safe and cozy.

That may be why so many of us still reach for cereal today, although our specific tastes are changing. The market size for cereal (both ready-to-eat and hot) reached 41.12 billion in 2024, and it’s projected to hit 50.66 billion by 2030, according to a report from Grand View Research.

More people are opting for cereals that have lower sugar and high protein these days, forcing cereal makers to find new formulas and new ways to package their products.

That means keeping a close eye on what’s selling and what’s not and reacting accordingly to keep up in a highly competitive market.

Now General Mills is discontinuing three of its cereals, which will surely be a disappointment to fans of them.

Your favorite cereal may be about to disappear for good.

Image source&colon; TheStreet/Shutterstock/General Mills

The General Mills cereals that are leaving grocery shelves

Instagram user Kayla Simonsen, who goes by the handle @the_cerealqueen, posted on her account in early June that three General Mills cereals would be going away soon.

The first of the batch is Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Oat Crunch, which originally debuted in 2013. At the time of this writing, the cereal already appeared sold out online at grocery retailers.

A desperate consumer left a comment on the official product page on General Mills’ website, saying, “I’ve been scouring my local stores for THE BEST CHEERIOS of all time and they’re gone!!! Please listen to me and the other reviewers and put this product back on the shelves. This was my faithful breakfast companion for years and it’s the ONLY Cheerios I like. These are inspiring, full of texture and flavor, the perfect amount of sweetness…please!?”

The second to get the axe is Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios, which made its debut in 2017. There was a lot less consumer fuss online over the discontinuation of this one, which may be a reason why General Mills decided to cut it.

The third cereal is Honey Nut Cheerios “Minis,” which are just a smaller version of the Cheerios we already know and love. Some other brands have released smaller versions of snacks lately, such as Frito-Lay’s Minis versions of Doritos, Funyuns, Cheetos, and Sunchips, but Cheerios’ take clearly didn’t resonate with consumers as General Mills had hoped.

TheStreet has reached out to General Mills for comment.

General Mills moves towards healthier options

While a few cereals are going away, General Mills will offer plenty of replacements that are a better bet for those seeking more health-conscious options.

Cheerios Protein, which comes in Strawberry, Cookies and Cream, and Cinnamon flavors, has eight grams of protein per serving and is on store shelves now.

There’s also a new Bluey cereal themed after the popular Australian animated series, which General Mills calls a “fun, lightly sweetened corn cereal.”

Cheerios Oat Crunch also gets a new Chocolate flavor, which is already on store shelves, and finally, there’s a Sam’s Club exclusive cereal: Strawberry Vanilla Chex.

General Mills has also said that it plans to slim down offerings overall, but put focus on key SKUs.

“The focus for fiscal ’26 will be on fewer but bigger innovations, with robust support for successful new products like Cheerios Protein and Nature Valley Granola Protein,” General Mills CEO Jeffrey Harmening said during the company’s March 19 earnings call.