*A cereal created by Snoop Dogg and Master P is at the center of a lawsuit filed against Walmart and Post. The rappers, who are represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, accuse the companies of sabotaging Snoop Cereal by intentionally leaving the breakfast product off shelves and hiding it in stockrooms, NPR reports.
The legal action is a significant barrier to Snoop and P’s objective for Snoop Cereal to add diversity to the food industry while “inspiring and creating opportunities” for minority-owned products and brands. Snoop Cereal is part of a string of products aligned with Snoop and Master P’s company Broadus Foods, which was created in 2022.
Chronicling circumstances leading to the lawsuit, the 34-page lawsuit, filed in February, detailed initial friction when Post Consumer Brands attempted to outright buy Broadus Foods after Snoop and Master P approached the company to gain support for Snoop Cereal. how Post Consumer Brands. The attempt resulted in a thumbs down from the pair who believed accepting Post’s offer would “destroy the whole purpose of leaving the company to their families.”
A partnership promotion agreement with Broadus Foods later happened at the suggestion of Post. Under the agreement, the companies would work together to manufacture, market, distribute, and sell Snoop Cereal in December 2022.
According to the lawsuit, Post would split profits from the venture with Broadus Foods.
Master P and Snoop argue that hopes for the alliance were dashed by Post not honoring the initial agreement. In their eyes, the food manufacturer “pretended to be on board” with their goals and did not treat the cereal like “one of its own brands.”
“…Post entered a false arrangement where they could choke Broadus Foods out of the market, thereby preventing Snoop Cereal from being sold or produced by any competitor,” the lawsuit said.
Going back to 2023, the suit claimed Snoop Cereal was nowhere to be found in “many” Walmart stores across the U.S., months after its launch last July. The product’s disappearance was a stark contrast to the unchallenged availability of other Post-brand cereals.
Despite Snoop Cereal being listed as “sold out” or “out of stock,” the lawsuit alleges several boxes of the cereal were found in stockrooms by store employees. Adding further complication was claims the boxes were “coded to not be put out on the store shelves.”
As a result, Snoop and Master P say Broadus Foods suffered financial losses as well as a damaged reputation considering Walmart and Post‘s decision to halt Snoop Cereal’s availability on a wide scale to customers.
“The only reason Snoop Cereal would not sell was because Post and Walmart intentionally kept it from reaching the market,” the lawsuit said.
Responding to the claims raised by the suit, Walmart released a statement acknowledging the value of its relationships with its suppliers as well as its “strong history of supporting entrepreneurs.” In addition, the company cited customer demand, seasonality, and price among “many factors” that affect the sales of any given product.
As such, Walmart mentioned that it would “respond as appropriate with the Court once we are served with the complaint.”
A separate statement to NPR from Post Consumer Brands referenced a lack of interest from consumers in Snoop Cereal as the reason for the product’s downfall, the news outlet noted.
“Post Consumer Brands was excited to partner with Broadus Foods and we made substantial investments in the business,” Post’s statement read. “We were equally disappointed that consumer demand did not meet expectations.”
Damages exceeding $50,000 are being sought by Snoop and Master P as well as a jury trial and “further relief determined by the Court,” according to the lawsuit.
“This case shines a light on the steep challenges faced by minority-owned businesses in securing fair opportunities in the marketplace,” Crump said in a statement.
For Master P, the motivation for the lawsuit lies in minority-owned companies “getting a fair share.”
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