Delivery Driver Says Old Woman Forced to Live on Cereal, Sparking Debate

An elderly woman ordered 24 boxes of cereal to eat for every meal because it was the only sustenance in her budget, her delivery driver claimed.

Driver Roger Smith, who said he delivers orders for DoorDash, shared a video about the woman on April 27. His clip has been viewed nearly 2 million times and sparked debate about the accessibility of healthy diets for seniors who live in poverty.

"Very old lady ordered 24 boxes of cereal because it's all she could afford," Smith wrote in text overlay posted to TikTok while panning across bags and bags of Kellogg's cereal packed into the trunk of his car. "Every meal every day."

A 2017 study for the National Library of Medicine (NLM) found that on average, healthier foods cost "nearly twice as much" as unhealthier foods per serving.

Thanks to inflation, though, all grocery prices are soaring across the United States. In March, the cost of grocery store and supermarket purchases was 10 percent higher than a year before, according to the Consumer Price Index. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has forecasted that food-at-home prices will rise between 5 and 6 percent in 2022.

While some viewers called Smith's story "sad" and "heartbreaking," others were skeptical about cereal constituting the most affordable diet.

"Ok I know that's a lie, Special K is 5-6 dollars a box depending on location," opined one comment. "That's about $130, you can buy a lot better groceries for that!"

Another viewer agreed, "This is inaccurate. So many staples are inexpensive. One box of cereal [could] buy multiple packets of pasta or rice...frozen veggies, eggs."

"Pretty sure beans and rice [are] a lot cheaper and healthier," another skeptic chimed in.

But sympathetic viewers pushed back, arguing that many seniors do not have the ability to cook or eat a wide range of foods.

"She may not be able to cook," said one user. "Some old people do not run their appliances because of the cost. Or maybe physically unable."

"A lot of elderly people have a hard time swallowing. Cereal is an easier food to eat," another viewer added.

Still another commenter argued that the validity of Smith's story was beside the point. "Whether true or not, this brings to light that many seniors struggle financially. Be neighborly. Bring food, or even just companionship," they wrote.

Smith told his audience on April 28 that he was returning to visit the woman and "taking her to see a social worker" the following week.

Newsweek reached out to Smith for comment.