Corn Flakes and the Phelps Flap : Just Say No

Garbage in, garbage out. Photo by Bill Narum / The Rag Blog.

I support freedom of choice, Kellogg's doesn't have to sponsor Phelps and I don't have to eat their products.

By Bill Narum / The Rag Blog / February 6, 2009

As I was about to open a new box of cereal I bought yesterday it struck me that this cereal was produced by the same company that dropped sponsorship of Michael Phelps over his marijuana smoking photo incident. In good conscience I just could not open the box so I threw it out.

Phelps has not been charged with any crime and possession of less than an once of marijuana in South Carolina is only a misdemeanor offense. I support freedom of choice, they don't have to sponsor Phelps and I don't have to eat their products. I tried to find an email address to send a complaint to Kellogg but they do not post any email addresses on their site.

Kellogg’s is bailing on Michael Phelps. This is from The Huffington Post,

Cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. said it won't renew its sponsorship contract with Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps because of a photo that showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

The Battle Creek, Mich.-based company said Thursday that Phelps's behavior _ caught on camera and published Sunday in the British tabloid News of the World _ is "not consistent with the image of Kellogg."
[…]
Among those standing by [Phelps], even if they don't condone his behavior, are Visa Inc., Speedo, luxury Swiss watchmaker Omega and sports beverage PureSport's maker Human Performance Labs.

Here, from NORML, is the dope, as it were, on South Carolina Drug Laws:

Action: Possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana - misdemeanor.

Penalty: Possession of one ounce or less is punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a fine of $100 - $200 for a first offense. Convictions for a first offense are eligible for conditional discharges.

Conditional release: The state allows conditional release or alternative or diversion sentencing for people facing their first prosecutions. Usually, conditional release lets a person opt for probation rather than trial. After successfully completing probation, the individual's criminal record does not reflect the charge.

Now, a look at who’s calling the kettle black. David Mackay, president and chief executive of Kellogg Co. is one of those $10 million corporate executives. From a an AP story in San Diego.com:

David Mackay, president and chief executive of Kellogg Co., received compensation valued at about $9.08 million for 2007…

Mackay's package included a salary of $1.1 million, performance-based pay of $2.13 million and $249,230 in other compensation, according to Kellogg's proxy statement filed Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In addition, Mackay received stock options worth an estimated $5.6 million when granted in February 2007.
[…]
The company also reported that it granted Mackay stock options initially approved from 1998 through 2002 that Kellogg valued at $1.37 million last year. That figure is not included in this compensation total for 2007, however.
[…]
Mackay, 52, took over as Kellogg's CEO on Dec. 31, 2006. He owns 273,710 shares of company stock and has options for another 1,340,703 shares, for a total beneficial ownership of 1,614,413 shares. Based on Wednesday's opening price of $50.87 for Kellogg's stock, his shares and options are worth $82.13 million.

Want to let Kellogg know how you feel? Here’s how:

There are several ways you can make your opinion known to the company.

You can call Kellogg’s main telephone number during east coast business hours, Monday through Friday, at: (269) 961-2000 or toll free at: 1 (800) 962-1413.

You can e-mail Kellogg’s consumer services department by visiting here.

You can contact Kellogg’s media relation department at: 269-961-3799 or via e-mail at mailto:media.hotline@kellogg.com

You can e-mail Kellogg’s investor relations department at: mailto:investor.relations@kellogg.com.

Or finally, you can write the Kellogg Company a letter at:

One Kellogg Square
P.O. Box 3599
Battle Creek, MI 49016-3599

Of course, if you're going to boycott Kellogg's, you might want to check this out: Kellogg's Boycott for Michael Phelps? What You'll Give up by Brian Childs from Asylum.com.

The Rag Blog