Part of the Bokomo range, and manufactured by Pepsico, the new ProNutro started appearing on shelves nationwide from April.
The company has apologised to users, but has been firm that a return to the original formula will not happen.
In a Facebook post on its official account, ProNutro apologised to South Africans for changing its fan-favourite formula.
It shared, “Change isn’t easy, especially when it involves something you love. The change on ProNutro has been challenging, and we understand the disappointment it’s caused. While the fundamental texture won’t change back, we are working on improving the mixability for a better experience."
The cereal brand revealed that it would temporarily halt production to fix its formula.
It continued, “You may not see us on the shelf for a little while as we focus on these improvements, and this time, we promise to keep you updated along the way.
“Thank you for sharing, for caring, and for giving us the chance to do better. We’re listening”.
The backlash from users on social media following the launch of the product has been massive, with users describing the new formula product as ‘awful’, ‘watery’, and ‘not the ProNutro we know'.
Users are saying that the iconic cereal’s texture and flavour have changed dramatically.
One user on Reddit comments,” They make a big song and dance about how there's less sugar now, in typical marketering double speak for 'we've taken a bunch of stuff out to cut costs', but basically they've cut the original recipe to shreds and left only the cheapest possible slop ingredients for the same high price."
The user also questions the ownership of the company. “Unsurprising, I suppose, with Bokomo now being owned by an American multinational "food" corporation, Pepsico, but wow, have they completely butchered, cheapened, and downgraded a once SA household name product into a disgusting, overpriced, shadow of what it once was.”
The backlash was so severe that Wendy Knowler, well-known consumer journalist, also got involved.
@news24 It was mainly the need to replace old, unreliable equipment that prompted #ProNutro brand owner #PepsiCo to introduce a new version of the breakfast cereal that’s been loved by South Africans for more than 60 years. It has not gone down well, writes @Wendy Knowler. Read the full consumer lookout via link in bio. #wendyknowler #consumerrights #news24 ♬ original sound - News24
Manufacturers PepsiCo have acknowledged that the reformulation has led to noticeable changes in texture and taste.
‘Due to changes in texture and taste in the New Generation formulation, substantive national consumer testing was conducted, including across both existing ProNutro consumers and other cereal users to inform the final product formulation,’ the brand says.
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."
The updated nutritional information on Bokomo's site shows a 45% reduction in total sugar from 21.6g in the previous recipe to 11.9g of total sugar per 100g in the new recipe.
It has also said that the shift was also necessitated by ageing manufacturing infrastructure and inconsistent equipment performance.
This it says made it increasingly difficult to maintain the original product at scale.
Upgrading production processes required a new formulation, one that inevitably altered the cereal’s long-standing taste and texture.
The company also noted that the updated packaging clearly communicates the change in consumer experience and forms part of a broader sustainability drive, including reduced packaging and environmentally friendly initiatives.
The South African breakfast cereal was developed by doctors in 1962 to combat malnutrition in the country.
