‘Why were cornflakes invented?’ is the most popular question of 2024 and the answer is bizarre
‘Why were cornflakes invented?’ is a question that, honestly, has never crossed my mind. But apparently I’m an exception, because in 2024 we collectively Googled the answer to this question in droves. And now that I know why cornflakes were invented, I understand the urge. Because you won’t see the answer coming.
At least you’ll have a fun fact to share at Christmas dinner this year. Or, well… I guess it depends on who’s sitting at the table with you.
Cornflakes: not an exciting product
Cornflakes are an extremely popular breakfast food, particularly in America. I get the impression that this is less the case in the Netherlands, since we seem to be addicted to yogurt, oatmeal and cheese sandwiches. But anyway, cornflakes. What do you think of this stuff? Nothing special, right? It’s not exactly an exciting product; it doesn’t have a huge amount of flavor (if you leave out the extremely processed versions with sugar) and they’re not particularly striking in terms of texture either. They don’t exactly get you excited. And that was precisely the intention of the inventor of cornflakes.
From rich and heavy to nutritious and light breakfasts
That inventor’s name was John Harvey Kellogg. Hey, Kellogg’s—we know that one! Boxes of Kellogg’s cornflakes are also on the shelves of our supermarkets. The product originated at the end of the nineteenth century. It was a period when wealthy Americans had breakfast with whatever they felt like. If that was steak with a piece of chicken on the side, then that’s what they put in the pan at 6 a.m. During this period, many Americans gradually changed their views on such heavy breakfasts. They needed to be lighter and more nutritious. John Kellogg eagerly responded to this need and brought grain products to the market that could be eaten for breakfast. Healthy and good for your digestion; a perfect fit for the new American trend.
The ultimate sin
John, however, was not a particularly eager man at all. Especially when it came to… sex. No, according to him, sex was an absolute sin. And masturbation even more so. It would give you the most appalling health problems, from epilepsy to complete blindness. It’s no coincidence that John and his wife slept separately their entire lives and adopted their children rather than having them themselves. John lived a sober, strict life according to the beliefs of the Adventist Church. He was also a doctor. The latter at least explains why he wanted to bring ‘healthier’ cornflakes to the market. So what did his sober lifestyle and religious beliefs have to do with cornflakes?
Sexless
The answer: in short, John wanted to bring a product to market that was as sexless as possible. He was convinced that things like meat, fat, sugar and spices would arouse lust. That sin had to be prevented at all costs. And so dry, tasteless, boring, libido-lowering breakfast cereals came onto the market. Nothing like the sickly sweet sugar bombs you see on the market today. John would go crazy if he saw our supermarket shelves now. Chocolate cornflakes?! Heathen!
All’s well that ends well (more or less)
Eventually, his brother Will Keith put a stop to the dry breakfast cereals, which were by then being produced in large quantities. Will came up with the crazy idea of adding sugar to the grains. It turned out to be a masterstroke, because the product sold much better as a result. John and Will fell out, because John was ab-so-lutely opposed to these changes. Eventually, Will started his own company: the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company. It later became the Kellogg Company. John turned his attention to soy products.
Bizarre story, right? And are you going to tell it at the Christmas table? Or can’t your proper great-aunt handle a story like that?
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