No more stale cereal? Cheerios teams up with Ziploc to introduce resealable bags inside boxes
The days of rolling, folding and clipping cereal bags to keep them fresh could be coming to an end as Cheerios and Ziploc team up to introduce a new resealable bag inside traditional cereal boxes.
General Mills announced Tuesday, Oct. 27, that Cheerios with Ziploc PantrySeal is now available, featuring what the companies describe as the first resealable bag inside a traditional cereal box. The new packaging is designed to make cereal easier to pour and reseal while helping preserve freshness.
The innovation follows years of consumer feedback, with General Mills reporting hundreds of thousands of requests, comments and reactions annually from customers looking for a better way to close cereal bags.
“General Mills has received letters, emails and DMs asking for an easier way to reseal a cereal box, and we decided it was time to partner with the ultimate freshness brand: Ziploc®,” said Emilie Knox, Vice President and Business Unit Director for Cheerios at General Mills. “Cheerios with Ziploc PantrySeal™ takes a small, everyday cereal frustration and finally gives consumers the simple solution they’ve been asking for, making the whole routine easier and more enjoyable.”
According to the companies, 90% of cereal consumers already take additional steps to preserve freshness beyond simply closing the box. Those methods include folding or rolling the inner bag, using clips or transferring cereal into separate storage containers.
The new Ziploc PantrySeal bag is designed to open partially across the top, creating a pour spout that allows consumers to fill bowls, cups or other containers more easily. Once finished, the bag can be resealed inside the original cereal box without requiring additional clips or containers.
The packaging will be available for both original Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios, offering consumers the same cereal with a different way to open, pour and store it.
“For generations, Ziploc® Brand has helped people keep the foods they love fresh through simple, trusted solutions,” said a Ziploc® Brand spokesperson. “Cheerios with Ziploc PantrySeal™ is an exciting new expression of what Ziploc® Brand can do – bringing our resealable freshness expertise directly into the Cheerios package and Ziploc® Brand into the pantry in an entirely new way.”
Developing the new packaging required the companies to adapt the resealable technology for large-scale cereal production. General Mills said nearly one box of Cheerios is produced every second, making it necessary to incorporate the new bags without disrupting the production process.
The partnership combines Cheerios, which General Mills identifies as the nation’s top-selling cereal brand, with Ziploc’s decades of experience in food storage. Ziploc introduced its zipper technology in 1968, helping establish resealable plastic bags as a household storage product.
The new Cheerios packaging also has a historical connection to the cereal’s origins. Cheerios with Ziploc PantrySeal is being produced exclusively in Buffalo, New York, where the cereal was first manufactured in 1941.
Cheerios with Ziploc PantrySeal is currently available exclusively through Walmart.com, with plans to expand distribution to retailers nationwide in the coming months.
