Snoop Dogg Sues Walmart And Post For Cereal Suppression

Snoop Dogg has become quite the food mogul. The rap star has dipped his toes into the world of wine, coffee, THC-infused snacks, and more, plus he has released a cookbook and found countless other ways to put his mark on the food industry. However, not every venture has been a success, and one recent product has resulted in a lawsuit.

Snoop Dogg and fellow rap icon and producer Master P recently filed a lawsuit against Post Consumer Brands and Walmart for allegedly keeping boxes of their jointly created Snoop Cereal off Walmart shelves. The cereal is one of two flagship brands under Broadus Foods, created by the two celebrities in 2022. (The other brand is Momma Snoop, which focuses on hot breakfast items like oatmeal.)

At the end of 2022, the filing notes, Broadus Foods inked a deal with Post Consumer Brands so that the cereal giant would handle "the manufacturing, marketing, distribution, and sale of Snoop Cereal." According to the filing, Post Consumer Brands had wanted to buy Snoop Cereal outright, but Snoop and Master P weren't interested in that arrangement; instead, Post would arrange for distribution at major retailers like Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Amazon. Profits from the cereal's sales would be split between the two companies. The filing names Walmart as Post's largest retailer.

However, the lawsuit alleges that Post, bitter about not being able to buy Snoop Cereal outright, colluded with Walmart to intentionally sabotage sales by keeping boxes off of shelves and away from consumers. This alleged sabotage, the filing argues, cut into Broadus Foods' profits and prevented the success of the brand.

"Snoop Cereal was launched in Walmart stores across the country in July 2023," reads the complaint in part. "The cereal was an immediate success. However, within a few months, customers could not locate Snoop Cereal in the aisles of their Walmart store... upon further investigation by store employees, each of these stores had several boxes of Snoop Cereal in their stockrooms that were coded to not be put out on the store shelves."

The lawsuit also alleges Walmart jacked up the price of Snoop Cereal to over $10, which was in direct conflict with Snoop and Master P's mission for the product to be affordable. The complaint seeks damages for lost profits, cost of marketing, and other costs. Walmart has yet to receive the complaint.

"Walmart values our relationships with our suppliers, and we have a strong history of supporting entrepreneurs," Walmart said in a statement to CBS News. "Many factors affect the sales of any given product, including consumer demand, seasonality, and price to name a few. We will respond as appropriate with the Court once we are served with the complaint."

The filing provides plenty of photographic and anecdotal evidence regarding the lack of Snoop Cereal on Walmart shelves. Post Consumer Brands may be a kingpin in the breakfast world, but Snoop Dogg is no stranger to public beef. This cereal battle could get ugly.