BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) -- Kellogg Co. has started testing a new version of its cereal box that it says takes up less space in grocery aisles and consumers' pantries.
The Battle Creek, Mich.-based maker of Frosted Flakes, Cheez-Its and Eggo waffles, said it is conducting a six-month test of the boxes, which are shorter and deeper than traditional cereal boxes.
The test in Kroger Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. locations in Detroit started Monday with 10 stores. Thirty more will be added soon, Kellogg said.
Kellogg, the world's leading cereal maker, said the new size is the most significant innovation in cereal boxes since the 1950s.
The tests affect the majority of Kellogg's branded cereals, including Frosted Flakes, Corn Flakes and Special K.
The new boxes, to hold various quantities of cereal, use an average of about 8 percent less packaging material per box.
The company made the change to address consumers' concerns that the taller, thinner boxes are difficult to fit into cupboards, said John Ferro, director of commercialization for Kellogg.
"We tried to address that by making the boxes more geometrically friendly," he said.
The company will evaluate in six months how well consumers accept the new boxes, how retailers react and other factors, including manufacturing of the boxes, he said.
Kellogg could decide to change the packaging of its entire lineup, although Ferro said it was too early to say whether or when that may happen.
Shares of Kellogg rose 77 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $45 in midday trading Monday.