When Kellogg’s did not renew the contract of swimmer Michael Phelps as a pitchman after he was photographed smoking from a bong, little did the hungry in San Francisco know it would be all to their benefit. More than 3,800 pounds of corn flakes and frosted flakes have wound up at one food bank, though Kellogg’s won’t say that it’s doing the dumping. Wrote the San Francisco Chronicle:
“So, though Kellogg’s and their star spokesman hit a patch of rough water, San Francisco’s hungry just got thrown a life preserver,” Food Bank spokeswoman Gayle Keck wrote in an e-mail.
The boxes flew off the shelves, but the food bank is keeping a few as souvenirs.
Kellogg’s is being mum about whether it is dumping boxes of flakes with Phelps’ picture on it, but the Chronicle said this conclusion seems logical:
San Francisco Food Bank executive director Paul Ash, it has become unusual for companies to offer cereal.
“It’s a very tough item to get,” Ash said. “In the last six or eight years, it’s become very hard to get ahold of.”
The sudden appearance of about 3,800 pounds of flakes would indicate that someone was trying to dump some unwanted stock. “It seems that way,” Ash said. “We do regularly see products with packages that are no longer desirable.”
I thought Kellogg’s overreacted in dropping Phelps for the horror of smoking some weed. But at least the company is doing the right thing by giving good cereal away to people who couldn’t care less what the guy on the box does in private.
Hat tip to Deadspin.
on Mar 11th, 2009 at 7:36 PM
I applaud Kellog’s for their move. As bad as it is to survive on just corn flakes alone, the none flavored one can be ground up and added to anything to give a thicker base, coating, etc.
on Mar 11th, 2009 at 8:22 PM
I would have thought that it wasn’t a kellogg decision to drop phelps, but that it was written in the contract that if he did anything that was “bad” or that hurt the company/product image (i guess that’s somewhat subjective) that he would be dropped.
on Mar 11th, 2009 at 8:25 PM
Kellogg’s did not renew his contract, which ended I think at the end of February.
on Mar 12th, 2009 at 6:48 AM
the good thing is that hungry people, which we have more and more of in this country, will get food no matter what the reason.
on Mar 12th, 2009 at 7:13 AM
It is quite possible that this cereal was donated as it was passed the must ship by date. If they had produced it with Phelps on the box and the pot usage it the press, the demand would go down. Then they are stuck with product that gets too old to ship. It is still good for immediate consumption but not to go through the retail warehousing chain to retail point of sale
Just a thought.
on Mar 12th, 2009 at 2:11 PM
I’m glad that something beneficial came out of the irresponsible actions of someone who could have easily had anything that they wanted.
Sad story with phelps and all, but a happy ending for some.
on Mar 12th, 2009 at 3:33 PM
I think it’s sad that “young” pro athletes end up losing. An sometimes losing everything. Pro athletes should not be role models, parents should be.
We all have mad misstates in our twenties! I hope this doesn’t hurt his career.
on Mar 13th, 2009 at 1:49 AM
KJ, my father actually brought the idea up this morning at the breakfast table except I had a feeling is that Kellogg’s just didn’t want his mug on anything related to them to be seen. Especially after the nationwide coverage about the bong scandal.
@ Mike Jones: True. Parents or older siblings/relatives who are successful in a legal manner. I guess it’s because growing up I often looked to my brothers and my parents to see how successful they are and not some sports star.
on Mar 13th, 2009 at 3:28 PM
What was hilarious to me about the whole Phelps “scandal” was it showed what an utter fucking LIE the whole “war on drugs” is. If a guy can win a boatload of gold medals while huffing on a bong, it sure makes all those Reefer Madness-esque “Take one hit off a joint and you’ll end up a homeless prostitute, we swear! No, really, you will, we promise!” ads look like the total bullshit they are.
Legalize it, NOW.
on Mar 13th, 2009 at 8:04 PM
Henry, continuous use of drugs will damper an athlete’s ability. For example, alcohol is bad in large amounts. The same nonsense theory applies to underage drinking. Hey, I may have a beer once in a while here and there, does it effect me? No, not really. Although I don’t sit down and down 4-5 of them a day and then try to maintain my body.
Personally I’m against the use of MJ on anyone who doesn’t have a valid medical use, and if we’re talking about Michael Jackson, I don’t want him near little kids, LOL.
Of course the idea of legalizing MJ at this point will actually help the US economy. A study was done about 2 months ago showing how it would and it can work. I believe there are lawmakers looking into the idea.
on Mar 13th, 2009 at 10:15 PM
Phelps is a swimming machine… beyond that, a bonehead.
on Mar 15th, 2009 at 10:23 PM
“Personally I’m against the use of MJ on anyone who doesn’t have a valid medical use,”
Why is it any of your business what other people choose to do with their bodies?