Fresh in from America: cornflakes.

After the war, Migros imported countless consumer goods from America and contributed greatly to the Americanisation of everyday life in Switzerland. For example, Migros introduced the little-known product cornflakes into the Swiss diet.

“Cornflakes are no more a luxury article than pasta”, readers are told by the Brückenbauer in January 1946, at the same time as they see the first advertisement for Kellogg’s Cornflakes. It is no coincidence: as Migros is not able to buy enough foodstuffs in war-ravaged Europe, Gottlieb Duttweiler travels to America. There he purchases – in addition to fruit, eggs and tinned goods – large quantities of cornflakes. This invention by the American doctor and health apostle John Harvey Kellogg is still relatively unknown in Europe. So explanations of the production, preparation and correct pronunciation of this foreign term are published in the Brückenbauer. However, even in 1956, Migros announced that cornflakes “still haven't become popular” as a food. Soon, the classic from Kellogg’s gives way to the cheaper brands Jersey from America and OTA from Denmark, and Migros still promises in bold print: “A treat for your palate and your well-being!”