I've been baffled by this for a while, and wasn't even quite sure whether my observation was correct or if my taste was deceiving.

But I am positive: There is a Mini-Wheats imposter.

Inexplicably, if you buy Mini-Wheats, you will get one of two kinds. One is the same as it has been for the past 20 years -- fresh, wheaty goodness. However, you may instead get the imposter, the plastic wheat. The wheat is more separated and looks a little plasticky. It has more of a tang typical of cheaper products. It's seriously as if the grocer took the cereal from a no-name brand and put it in a Mini-Wheats box.

It has been going on for far too long for it to be a permanent switch in manufacturing, as it would have happened already, and other boxes would have expired or sold out. Unless they switched some facilities. They could also have a bad facility or something.

I'm in the midst of a good box now, of which I will take a picture of one of the good ones. Then I'll do the same at a later point with a bad one. The conspiracy must be known!