History of Chex Cereal

• Ready-to-eat breakfast cereal began as a product of animal feed companies such as Ralston Purina that saw a new way to market a surplus of grain in the United States in the early 1900s. Chex cereal was introduced in 1937 by Ralston Purina.

The Shape of Chex

• The shape of Chex cereal is based on the checkerboard symbol for Ralston Purina.

Promoting Products Through Recipes

• In the 1950s, cereal companies began promoting recipes for parties based on mixing different cereals with savory ingredients and then baking them. Ralston Purina likewise introduced the recipe for Chex Mix to promote the sale of Chex cereal in 1952.

The Rise of the TV Mix

• As television became popular, so did food that could be eaten in front of the TV. Chex Mix joined many other cereal snacks of the period because it could be eaten with one hand.

Fun Fact

• Though Chex Mix had been popular for several decades, it was not patented until 1990.