To Woo Millennials, 4 Cereals Are 'Kicking It Old School'

If your Cocoa Puffs taste especially chocolatey lately, it's not your imagination. That's because General Mills is tapping into consumer nostalgia in an effort to woo millennials and others via an update on four of its breakfast cereals, Food Dive reports. Or is that a backdate? "Your favorite flavors from childhood have returned," a release says of the changes made to the cereals, which are "bringing back the taste and shapes that ruled your Saturday mornings in the '80s." General Mills says it's "kicking it old school" and bringing back its classic recipes for Cocoa Puffs, which gets a chocolate boost; Golden Grahams, which once again contains real honey; Trix, which sees a return to its six classic fruity shapes; and Cookie Crisp, which tastes even more like chocolate chip cookies. "Our fans crave a taste of nostalgia," Jennifer Jorgensen, GM's VP of marketing, says.

Food Dive notes that cereal consumption has dropped significantly in recent years, with sales falling 17% from 2009 to 2016. And so cereal companies, including GM, have been trying a variety of promotions to get people—especially young adults—to reach for the comforting tastes they enjoyed as kids. The one issue: In recent years, many consumers have gone on a health kick and are rejecting sugar, so the new breakfast cereals of yore may have too many sweeteners and artificial flavors for their taste. General Mills hopes the fond memories of childhood win out. "We're hoping fans can relive these fun moments while sharing the classic taste they loved with their own families now," Jorgensen says, per the release. The change to all four cereals is expected to be permanent. (More breakfast cereal stories.)